Mass Effect: Memorandum BEING REWRITTEN!
by I Max95
Summary: in an alternate version of Mass Effect 2 Saren survived and Shepard didnt, Saren is now free of Reaper influence and has to stop the Collectors while simultaniously running from Shepard's old crew, who still hunt him
1. Prologue

Prolouge

Shepard walked up the steps to the citadel presidium, before breaking into a run toward the control panel  
>Saren was already there pressing buttons before turning to see him<p>

Shepard stopped his squad in toe as they all aimed their guns at him  
>In that instant he fell into the garden below<p>

Shepard knew he wasn't gone and looked at the spot where he was at knowing what was coming  
>Saren emerged atop his platform throwing a grenade forcing Shepard into cover before it exploded; Saren aimed his gun at his cover before lifting it<p>

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time Shepard" his said his voice filled with contempt

"Had to wipe out a few of your followers along the way!" Shepard replied with gusto "sorry if I kept you waiting!"

"You've lost you know that don't you? In a few moments Sovereign will have full control of all the citadel's systems, the relay will open, the reapers will return"

"I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve!"

"You survived our encounter on Virmire but I've changed since then, improved, Sovereign has…upgraded me"

"Fancy hardware's not gonna save you!"

"you don't understand Shepard, there is a place for Organics in the new order, the Reapers need men and women of Action, people like us, Sovereign recognizes your value, you've…impressed it, surrender to the Reapers and you will be spared, join us and we can find a place for you"

"Sovereign's controlling you through your implants don't you see that!"

"the relationship is symbiotic, organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel, the strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither, I am a vision of the future, shepard the evolution of all organic life, this is our destiny, join sovereign and experience a true rebirth"

"No more stalling Saren lets finish this!"

He didn't speak another word knowing it was pointless raising his gun a firing at Shepard who ran to another position

One of his squad a Krogan kept shooting at Saren while the other a Quarian sent a tech attack to take his shields down  
>The shields stayed up and the assault rifle fire hardly did anything<p>

Saren sent a biotic warp toward them but they dodged in time

Shepard kept shooting with his pistol and threw a grenade that Saren deflected biotically

Shepard ran after him as his platform moved further back into the room the Quarian and the Krogan followed all still shooting

Saren saw his opening and used a strong throw attack on one the Quarian who was sent fast into a piece of debris knocking her unconscious  
>Saren shook as a grenade hit his platform before jumping off of it colliding hard with the ground<br>He shook off the fall and raised his pistol firing several more shots at the group while sustaining no damage

The Krogan Charged Saren held up a hand and used lift and saw as the Krogan went high into the air  
>With another twitch the Krogan was sent spiraling to the ground and collided with it hard<p>

Not finding shepard Saren walked back to the control panel before hearing running steps and being tackled into the glass covered area below the glass shattering as they went through it Shepard punching Saren hard before they collided with the ground

Saren got up first picking up Shepard with him kneeing him in the chest and punching his jaw  
>Blood came from the face before Saren beat him more sending him o the ground<p>

As he tried to get up Saren shot his leg making him scream in pain

He kept going and Saren shot him through the shoulder

"It's a shame Shepard…you could have been useful…but as soon as I make preparations on the console everyone on this station will die"

He got up and ran after Saren but he just pushed him back biotically and climbed a ladder to the top

Shepard followed and tripped with his wounded legs just before the console

"Give up Shepard" he walked to the console "there's no hope left, it's over"

He got up and ran at him again

This time Saren got his chest several times before he went down

Shepard stayed down and sat up against the console

Saren could hear his deep breaths as he tapped the keys

Saren heard a click and turned toward Shepard  
>He had a grenade in his hand<br>"Like hell it's over!" he yelled just before it went off and Saren jumped away

The next thoughts through Saren's head were confused, conflicted

What had he been doing, what was the point

He woke up in a hospital bed and began breathing heavily  
>He saw his hand was cuffed to it<p>

There was a patient next to him watching the TV

"the reports have some explanation as to the final moments of the battle, as a testimony from Tali'Zorah Shepard heroically sacrificed himself in order to destroy the main console of the citadel which was under the complete control of Saren's flagship, severing the connection to the citadel caused the ship's shields to drop for only a moment but long enough for the fleet to destroy the ship and save the Citadel"

Saren set his head back against his pillow and Shut his eyes

He felt…clarity, like for the first time in a while, he understood everything  
>He was wrong…the Reapers were never going to give him a chance they would have betrayed him, he was the bad guy and Shepard the man he killed, was the hero of this story<p>

And now…for the crimes he committed Saren is most likely going to be given the death penalty  
>But not now He thought as he shook violently<p>

Why now…he couldn't control himself before but now he could help  
>He decided in that moment…he was leaving<p>

He was no longer a Spectre or even a soldier he would escape, his cuffs were easily removed

And hospitals don't lock their doors


	2. Chapter 1

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 1

The battle of the Citadel the battle that won the Geth war, or so they say, but that was never the truth, the politicians want to believe that it was the Geth and the Geth alone

I'm living proof that's a lie

In that historic battle the Alliance fleet, along with the Turians' and everything the Citadel had to throw at them they beat back the invasion of the Geth and their flagship Sovereign, the fleet was defeated Sovereign was destroyed but Commander Shepard the hero of the galaxy, gave his life in that battle

He wasn't meant to die, I was

Now me and the rest of the galaxy is stuck fighting a war with the Reapers and I am one of the few people left who can defend them, and the rest of them are currently trying to hunt me down and kill me

They are Commander Shepard's former crew and they were conscripted by the Council to take me down

My name is Saren Arterius, and I have seen with my own eyes, felt in my body and my mind, the thing that is coming for this galaxy, the Reapers

And now that my mind is free of their taint, I will do anything that is necessary to save every soul in this galaxy from that horror

###

Saren sat on the uncomfortable stool just in front of the counter, the air smelled of human food that Saren despised, the diner sold Turian food but most of it was shit

Except on weekdays, that was when Blu worked, a small human girl mid-twenties, 5 foot 4, blonde hair a blue highlight in the front

She cooked dextro amino acid food better than most Turians

As Saren took another sip of his drink she walked up in an apron and wearing her trademark smile

"Anything else Soll" she said happily as she leaned on the counter

"Yeah" Saren replied to his cover identity "get me an Elkus, rare"

"Coming right up" she said taking his newly emptied cup and walking away

This was always know as the most civil place on Omega, this one diner, it was called the King Café, named after some human activist who worked toward race equality, one of its selling points is that it serves all races, and if Blu was any indication, they succeeded

Blu came back holding a smoking blue squid like creature, an Elkus, an aquatic dextro amino acids creature that only live on Palaven

Saren took the knife that was beside it and started to carve it

He looked up back at Blu for a moment seeing her back in the kitchen cooking for a different customer

She walked back and began wiping the tables

"So" Saren said "how have things been going?"

"Great" she said with excitement "my loans are almost paid off and some galleries have been getting interested in some of my work"

"Good, its time people recognize a diamond in the rough like yourself" he tried to stop judging humans so much, but he couldn't help but emphasize "the rough" part of that sentence

Blu was an artist who finished college 6 years before, but without a scholarship she is still paying for it

She was 26

Saren wasn't stupid, he knew that not all humans were bad people, Shepard was living proof against that, and his experience as the Reaper's agent opened his eyes

Humans were controlling, stubborn, downright evil in some cases, not to be trusted…but he realized that the Turians were no different, or any species for that matter

He kept his contempt for humanity, but he tried his best to hide it

His past 2 years have not been good to him, it began with month on the move, and he had to change places over and over to avoid the council's kill-squad

In that time they almost got him on several occasions, a shootout with Ashley Williams, he narrowly escaped being sniped by Garrus Vakarian, and Tali'Zorah is one hell of a knife fighter

Still he lives and after he finally found a forger willing to take the heat, he changed his name painted his face with black coloring and changed his armor from a gray battle suit to regular clothing covered by a long black coat with a hood, he thought he could finally do something other than run

He is currently working out of omega creating his own little information network trying to track any developments having to do with the Reapers

They enslaved him for years and forced him to kill a man who would have saved the Galaxy, and as well as saving the galaxy himself, Saren wanted payback

In fact he is currently waiting for the Blue Sons to arrive, they are set to make some kind of exchange, rumor has it they make deals with some unknown species, and they get highly advanced weaponry in return

Out of the corner of his eye Saren sees a human walking down the street he's wearing a blue sons uniform

He sees a truck follow him large and driven by more Blue sons

Saren got up before finishing his meal "put it on my tab" he said to Blu before leaving

As he got outside he took out his Raikou pistol which unfolded

He cocked it and slid a new heat sinc into it as he walked

His free hand flared with biotic energy as he tailed the Blue Sons caravan

He was following them for an hour before they reached a secluded alley way and opened their truck

A large crowd of humans stepped out in file all chained together like animals, they wore looks of utter panic and terror as they pulled at their chains hoping for a glimmer of hope

Saren watched from another nearby alley and he put his hood up as he watched, he came for information, he hadn't sufficient firepower for a rescue

He was thinking it must be slavers until a small strangely shaped shuttle floated down it was brown and seems organic with windows like bug eyes in the front

It touched down and opened up in the back

As it did creatures stepped out

They were a light brown in color and were like insects in form, with big red eyes in two rows of three vertically

They held large laser weapons the same color as them

Saren watched as they bartered to exchange the humans for their tech, he could hear them through the long range mic he had

"We're going to need more than that" said the Blue Sons leader "and your scary voice crap doesn't intimidate me"

"You have no idea who you are dealing with puny human"

The voice was loud commanding, it reminded Saren eerily of Sovereign's voice echoing inside his mind and infecting his deepest thoughts, he shook his head not wanting to resurface terrible memories

"no you got no idea who you're dealing with " said the blue sons leader "in fact, why don't we kill you and take your weaponry, I'm tired of you scrimping on our deals, we want our share"

"Are you sure that is your choice" repeated the voice

"Yeah" he said "boys! Take em down" he began walking away and just before the first shots fired a loud shrieking noise was heard

A large hulking being flew in out of the corner of Saren's eye

He saw it as it crashed into the gathering a large spiderlike creature with four glowing blue eyes and a large gaping maw that looked like a mouth, Saren swore his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he saw the faces of several husks in the mouth

It had four long spiked legs and it floated slowly

"DESTROY THEM!" said the bellowing voice "we have other methods of acquiring humans"

The flying beast let a laser go through its mouth that shone with a brilliant blue light

It tore into the mercs making them run for cover and find none

They exploded into a mess of red blood and gore when they were hit; the laser boiled their remains leaving nothing

Saren didn't notice but he had stepped out into the street, enthralled in what was going on

A sickening feeling washed over him

His eyes widened and glowed with a blue light

Memories flashed in his mind

The conduit, Ilos, the battle of the citadel, the death of Commander Shepard

WE ARE NOT DONE WITH YOU!

The voice bellowed in his mind, he felt a familiar, damning, and horrible pain in his skull as the beast that hounded him reentered his mind

He tried to scream but nothing came out

He fell to his knees and clawed at his head

NO ONE ESCAPES US!

Saren tore his pistol out of its holster and started firing into the black of the night trying to hit something in the faint hope that the nearby aliens were responsible

YOU HAVE TO SERVE ANOTHER PURPOSE

"NO!"

GIVE UP ACCEPT INEVITABILITY

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" he screamed as he forced himself to stand up

YOU ARE THE REAVER, FIGHT FOR US AS YOU ONCE DID

Reaver…he has heard Sovereign call him that before

Saren started running, but before long he was stumbling aimlessly the voice remained

He'd hoped to outrun it thinking it would go away

Something kept him anchored to reality but the infection in his skull was overpowering it

His eyes filled with flashes of destruction of the Prothean

YOU ALL WILL SHARE THIS FATE

He was blind but before long his vision came crashing back and he slammed into a glass window

He couldn't stop; he was going too fast to stop

As he did he slammed into a table that was just beside the window knocking them both to the ground of the building

His body slammed hard onto the tile of the building sprawling him across the floor and knocking his hood off his cloak

"SOLL!" someone yelled Saren flipped his body over and saw his vision severely blurred but he saw a faint picture of a ceiling and a fan

A face appeared in front of that, blonde hair, a blue strand

"SOLL ARE YOU OK!" she said her voice filled with concern she turned away "call an ambulance!"

All the while Saren mumbled under his breath

"Arrival, collectors, have to stop, everyone you…know and love" he remembered the things he said as his indoctrinated self "submission…extinction"


	3. Chapter 2

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 2

When you're a wanted man, a hospital is one of the worst places you can be. They check your DNA run background checks, they sedate you. Odds are you either wake up cuffed to the bed, or you wake up in a cell. I know I've done it several times

But this time since I have a team of 4 people hunting me down trying to kill me, odds are

I won't wake up at all

###

A woman entered the hospital through the sliding metal doors holding a black brief case

She wore a lab coat and under that a black jumpsuit, she was pretty with long flowing black hair

She approached the counter and the receptionist took notice a young human girl with blonde hair

The woman's ID badge was pinned to her coat and she showed it to the receptionist

"I was called in for an emergency patient, unknown Turian,ID 18133 can you direct me to him"

She checked her computer "Room 1112, floor 7" the receptionist said as she looked at the doctor

The Doctor smiled to the receptionist girl and began walking through the halls of the hospital, she walked with a confident stride and her happy demeanor melted to a professional and calm face, she reached the elevator and stepped on

She hit the button for her floor and just before the doors closed a Turian hand shot out and kept the door open

A surge of excitement surged through her when the Turian stepped into the light, white skin and blue face paint with an orange visor over one of his eyes; he carried himself in a professional manner and stepped onto the elevator paying the Doctor no heed

"What floor?"

"7" she knew that voice, Turians look so similar that the woman trained herself to remember the voice of any Turian

The woman cursed under her breath

It was Garrus Vakarian

She spotted an advertisement on the screen beside Garrus and pointed to it "well would you look at that" the Turian took the bait, looking at the ad, and the woman swiftly slammed the Turian's head against the screen but this only dazed him he swiped out with one of his claws and the woman caught it slamming the side of her fist into his nose as hard as she could she kneed him in the chest and slipped his pistol out it's holster and as he hit the ground she unfolded it from its compact position and pointed it at him

Garrus went for his rifle

"DROP IT!" she said and he lowered his hand

The woman took a step back as Garrus stood up with his hands in the air

"Who are you?…you here for the scum bag on floor seven? I can tell you I'm paid to take him down"

"No, I don't want him dead…I need him alive" she struck Garrus across the head with the handle of the pistol knocking him to the floor

She observed her surroundings and found the elevator was still moving; she scowled at the slow speed of any elevator she was ever on

She opened her Omni tool as the elevator finally reached its destination

She hacked the elevator and as she exited she made the doors lock, she didn't want Garrus dead any tech could override the lock, she just wanted to buy time

She walked through the halls with a new sense of urgency checking every room for room 1112, when she finally reached it she quickly opened the door and stepped inside to find a nurse checking a Turian's vitals

The Turian had white skin with a rushed black face paint job; his face was disturbed and veins on his face seems to be almost…mechanical in how they looked

He was asleep and he wore a thin Turian undershirt and pants with the rest of his clothing piled off to the side

The woman picked up his datapad which had all his hospital records on it and read

.

Turian, age 46

Unknown name

Slight head trauma and lacerations from the jump through the glass, but his biggest damage was in his brain, his system shut down from some sort of disturbance with his brainwaves, almost as if it was deliberate, as far as we can tell he will recover soon, the government has become interesting in this one, they sent an agent to deal with him, whatever that means

.  
>The woman set the datapad down and shooed the Nurse away<p>

She set her brief case down and opened it taking out an instrument

It was a small device that ended in a forked design, it was black with one button on it

It was basically a non lethal stun gun; her brief case was filled with weapons and a single communicator

She pressed the stun gun against the Turian's skin and pressed the button sending electricity through his body

His eyes shot open and his hand lashed out fastening around the woman's throat

She didn't scream she simply glared at him as she struggled for breath

"Who the hell are you human?"

"Let go…cant breath, ill. Talk."

He loosened his grip but then grabbed her by her collar and pulled her in close as he sat up

"Who are you!"

"My name is Miranda Lawson I came to find you, save you"

"I don't need saving"

"Garrus Vakarian was just on his way up here to kill you, I stopped him if he found you here you'd be dead already"

Saren squinted at the strange human "I'm listening"

She pointed to the brief case "take that" she said "use it to get out of here, when your safe use the communicator and call me, just type my name in, we have plan for you"

"We?"

"All in good time Mr. Arterius"

Saren reared back in shock "how do you know who I am!"

"That's not important now, Garrus wasn't the only one, his heart rate went down, his sensor will trip, and his team will be notified, and you have 5 minutes before their fully mobilized, so run"

Saren pushed Miranda back so hard she fell to the ground

He tore the stun gun from her hands and tossed it in the case

It held a white Mattock assault rifle, and a Shuriken SMG, as well as a small communicator unit, several Thermal clips and a small square box to be strapped onto his wrist

As he did a new Omni-tool appeared around it

He closed the case and found his long black cloak, put it on, and put the hood up

He took the case and walked out the door making sure to occasionally look around his shoulder for anyone following him, or anyone he found familiar

He hit the console to open the door to the stairwell and entered quickly descending the steps and reaching the ground floor in good time hopefully they weren't on to him yet

He sped out of the Hospital and immediately went to the first car he could find

As he touched it a cool feeling flooded his mind and his consciousness reached out, he manipulated the computer system of the car and it unlocked and started up

He tore his hand away and stood still for a moment

It disturbed him that he could do that, the Upgrades the Reapers gave him went far beyond combat enhancements and better Biotics, it turned him into a full hybrid of Synthetic and machine, so much so that he could interface directly with technology, control it with his mind, if he knew about this ability during the battle of the Citadel, he'd have immediately won, maybe the reapers thought it wasn't needed, that the humans would go down anyways, or maybe something about Saren prevented it

He opened the car and sat inside entering his destination

###

"DAMNIT!" Ashley screamed as she knocked over a nearby machine that was meant for monitoring patients

They stood in Saren's Hospital room right after his apparent escape; she leaned on a table with both hands as she looked back at her team

Garrus was sitting on the bed across from Tali who was sitting in a chair who gave him an ice pack she got from a nurse which he placed against his forehead

Liara was pacing off to the side as Ashley turned to them "what the fuck was that Garrus! I told you to come up here and finish the job, can you not fucking understand that!"

She got angrier ever since Shepard died, even with friends

"Ash the woman was trained, what was i supposed to do" Garrus said irritation in his voice and he pressed the ice pack against his head "it won't happen again"

"Your damn right it won't!" she ran her hands through her hair as she leaned back trying to relax "Jesus Christ" she said to herself to vent her anger

Tali got up and crossed her arms "Garrus didn't do anything wrong, he was off his guard, and we should have sent someone else with him, I would have gone if you hadn't had me on support duty like you always do!"

Liara stepped in "enough! This helps no one" she turned to Garrus "what did this woman look like?"

"She was white, black hair, from what I've heard of it her voice sounded Australian, from the Earth country"

"Anything else?"

"She said that she wanted Saren alive, can't imagine why"

"That just means the fucker has followers now" Ashley cut in "contact the closest Alliance base we need to search Omega, find him, put out DNA sensors, that sort of thing"

"Are you kidding?" asked Garrus "this place is full of the scum of the galaxy you really think they'd take kindly to Alliance soldiers parading around"

"What do you propose?"

"I say we go after a different lead, the girl, we can get surveillance footage from around the Hospital spot her, get an ID and find out who we're dealing with before we do anything else"

Ashley turned away as she thought about it

"Fine…we'll play it your way" she said "you better hope she's not some bystander he hired who caught you by surprise"

'She was trained, I can tell" he was annoyed and Ashley just tapped his shoulder and they all walked off"

###

Saren stopped in an alleyway on the other end of Omega, and stepped out walking past drug dealers and hookers as he passed

He took the headset he had and patched it into the communicator unit

He typed Miranda Lawson into the call section of his Omni tool and the tone rang out

"I see you listened, good" said her Australian voice on the other end

"What's this about human? Why did you save me and what do you want from me"

"Not I…my boss wants to speak with you"

"Who's your boss?"

"You'll see, that communicator we gave you, it doubles as a field holographic display, activate it"

Saren looked at the device he had wired to his Omni tool and saw a small button on it he pressed it out of curiosity and suddenly it made whirring sounds of a machine at work

It flared with holographic light and a yellow holographic projection appeared over Saren's face clouding his vision with a screen

Through the yellow Saren saw the slums he arrived in transform into a dark room with almost nothing in it

In the back It had a large window that had a nice view of a dying star, and just before that was a man in a chair, a human to be exact, he had old features synthetic looking eyes and gray hair, he was smoking a cigarette

"Mr. Arterius, do you know who I am?"

Saren crossed his arms and glared, he knew

"You're the human, the Illusive Man, that's what they call you now"

"Correct, do you know why we saved you?"

"No…what would a human radical want with me, the bane of humanity"

"Because you have something none of us do…you've been interfaced with Reaper Technology, we could learn more about them by studying you than we could with anything else"

"I won't be your test subject, so just forget it"

"I didn't mean in a lab, I meant in the field, the technology in you is just ONE reason we chose you, we have a mission for you, if you're interested"

"What makes you think I'll trust you?"

"You don't have to, your Omni-tool will monitor all your bodily signs and all I'm going to give you is information, do with it what you will"

Saren thought for a moment, and considered his options, he could tear his Omni-tool off and leave Cerberus behind possibly giving up the biggest ally he could have, or he could accept their offer, and might be secure for a while longer

"What is it you wanted to tell me?"

"The Collectors"

That named caught his attention

"You had contact with them last night"

"Yes I did and they messed with my brain so much it sent me to the hospital"

"Yes…but I believe there is a scientist qualified enough to create a countermeasure able to block Reaper influence from your brain, Doctor Mordin Solus"

"That old man, I met him once, he's good"

"Beyond that in order to take down the collectors you'll need a team, I'll send you details about the best we could find"

"I'm an alien, beyond that I'm an alien who fought against humanity, why are you doing this for me?"

"because you were indoctrinated, and after that we still don't trust each other…I'm giving you a chance…one chance, if you fail me, then the axe falls and it won't be the Council's kill squad who takes you down" the feeling in his voice was powerful, angry he meant every word he said and he was perfectly willing to kill Saren if he stepped out of line"you have three months" he said "three months" he repeated "get me some results, or I'm sending one of my own, hopefully your technology and abilities will be an asset, but you better hurry"

Saren crossed his arms and looked the Illusive man Straight in the eye "let the games begin" he said as the hologram shut down


	4. Chapter 3

*WARNING: spoilers for Mass Effect: Evolution follow*

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 3

Jack Harper, now that is a name I will never forget. The man who quite possibly saved my entire home planet from the Horrors made by the device known as the Arca Monolith , which turned its victims into hulking beings who were stronger, and more resilient than ever before

It also turned them into near-mindless slaves who were controlled by the Monolith, as in the Reapers as I have since figured out

That was about 20 years ago and as I saw who he became after that. A radical, vain leader of an Organization hell bent on wrecking havoc on the people of non-human species

Any positive thought I had for him, shattered

Cerberus was the name of his group, Cerberus became a symbol to me that however heroic or great a human may seem, they will always turn on you and stab you in the back. And in this case, your entire species

How ironic that now, all these years later

I'm working for him

But these days, he goes by the name

The Illusive Man

###

Saren sat at the counter at afterlife's bar as he sipped a tall drink in his hand, a strong, blue drink that burned inside his mouth

He kept his hood up as he sat simply thinking

As he brought the drink to his mouth again he saw someone sit down next to him out of the corner of his eye

A familiar small human girl

Blonde and blue hair

The waitress at the diner, he eats there every weekday

Blu was her name, at least that's what she called herself

Saren glanced at her as she beckoned the Bartender

Saren growled as he saw the man behind the counter

A Batarian, Forvan

She asked for a shot and he served one, smiling to himself

Just as Blu reached for it Saren snatched it, sliding it over to him

"Hey-"Blu started before Saren spoke

"First rule of Afterlife, don't order a drink if your human"

"That's preposterous" said Forvan

Saren glared at him with dark menacing eyes "was I talking to you?" he asked as the Batarian took a step back

"I'm sure it's fine" said Blu

"Your way too trusting" Saren slid the shot in Forvan's direction "come on Forvan, show the human how healthy your shots really are"

"No" said Forvan quickly "you want me to-"

"Drink it!...now"

The Batarian picked the shot up stared at it with all four eyes fixed in a position of terror

He slammed it back onto the counter so hard it spilled all over

"Screw this" he said reaching for his hip

Saren was quicker, and with a mechanical precision he swiftly removed his own pistol and shot Forvan through one of his eyes making him instantly fall back against the center section of the counter, he slid to the ground rubbing blood into the center shelves, his face blank, and covered with blood.

The music went dead as the extremely loud shot pierced the atmosphere of the club

All eyes turn to Saren

A man trotted up and checked the body

He looked at Saren for a moment, a small human, "thank you" he said as he dragged the body away, probably just to the alleyway where he can rot

The music started up again as if nothing happened

"Told you" Saren said as Blu covered her mouth and took several steps back

Saren holstered his gun and took another drink

"You killed him!" Blu said

"Did you expect me to let him shoot me?"

"Well no…but how can you be so casual about it"

Saren sighed and removed his hood "I used be in a deadly business, I'm used to seeing death"

Saren shook his head as Blu went back to the counter and squinted slightly at Saren

"That was a long time ago"

"Soll?" she asked recognizing him by his fake name

"Yeah"

An armored Batarian approached Saren and put an arm on his shoulder "Aria will see you now" he said before heading back

Saren downed his drink quickly before turning to Blu "bye" he said "I'll see you tomorrow"

Blu fidgeted around and anxiously pulled at her hair as she remained in shock

Saren got up and walked off

###

Saren approached Aria who was faced in the opposite direction leaning over the railing overlooking the club

"I heard about that business with Forvan" she said turning to Saren "thanks for that"

"He was poisoning his drinks"

"Oh I know…would have sent one of my men to deal with it but you got to him first it seems, from now on, your drinks are on the house"

"Yeah, I needed to talk to you about something"

"You need my help" Aria assumed "but here is the problem, why should I aid the Galactic Public enemy number 1"

Saren took a step closer to her "come on Aria, do it for old times' sake, all I need is information nothing more"

Saren and she had cooperated several times on missions. He gave him information about anything going on in Omega. Given her power over the area she could even supply Saren with Backup

Saren and Aria also had a…complicated relationship

"Fine" she as she sat down on her couch "ask your questions and go"

"I need to find Doctor Mordin Solus; can you tell me where he is?"

"The Salarian Doctor, oh yes he was part of your team on that job in the Skepsis systems, I always liked Mordin, he's as likely to heal you as he is to shoot you"

"Where can I find him?"

"You can find him in the slums just through the Markets, be careful though, there was a plague in there, and all species except Humans have been dying, left and right"

"Hmm" Saren mumbled "Humans probably designed it, released it"

"Maybe, but I'm sure if you don't die before getting to the good doctor he can fix you up"

###

Saren walked down the hall that led to the slums entrance

"I told you to get lost lady; orders are to not let anyone in until the Plague has run its course"

"I'm human you ass" said the human woman to the Turian Guard "humans can't get the plague"

"This plague affects every other race out there, we're not taking chances" the guard continued as Saren approached

"I need to get in" Saren stated

The Turian guard chuckled slightly "you got a death wish man, the plague kills Turians"

"Right" Saren said "listen I'm in a hurry" he unfolded his gun and looked at it "I'll be frank, you're going to let me in, either that, or I shoot you"

The Turian took several steps back "calm down" he said his voice filled with fear "it's for your protection, you'll die in there"

"Let me in"

"Fine! Fine!" he said walking to the door and unlocking the elevator "ill radio ahead they won't give you any trouble"

"Wise"

"Your letting him in but not me!" said the Human woman "fuck you!"

"He had a gun!" the Turian said defensively "he was going to shoot me!"

Saren stepped into the elevator just as the Human woman stormed off in a huff

###

The slums were dirty with rusted walls, trash scattered throughout the streets, and a dark, red glow seemed to emanate from everywhere at once

As he made it a few blocks Saren coughed hard several times

He took in a wheezy breath "shit that isn't good" he said to himself as he started to jog

The Three guards near the entrance let him in but as he got further in the Guards were replaced with Mercs

He saw two Blue Sons Mercs talking

Saren unfolded his pistol and took aim as he slowly approached

His first shot blew the Turian soldier's temple out and sent him to the floor

The second pierced the human merc's shoulder while he held up his other arm to shoot

Saren waved his hand violently and pulled the Merc closer using Biotics, as he spun in the air Saren landed several shots in the Merc's belly

His dead body continued to float until it hit the back wall

Saren kept his pistol out and walked until he saw a Batarian sitting against the wall

He coughed painfully and groaned "damnit!" he yelled "damn humans, they brought this here"

Saren knelt beside him

The Batarian drifted off slightlty and Saren tapped him on the Shoulder

"Hey! Stay with me!" Saren yelled

"Just leave me Turian, save yourself; you won't be alive much longer"

"Where can I find Mordin Solus?"

"He owns a clinic here" he coughed loudly again "it's not far from here, just follow the signs and you can't miss it"

He hacked and wheezed breathing in shaky breaths "damn! Its hurts!" he coughed and blood appeared on his lips

He wasn't going to last much longer, and with what Saren saw of the Plague, it made its victims' last hours hell, the Batarian was in pain and there was no way he'd make it to the Clinic and Saren sure as hell wasn't going to carry him

Saren took out his pistol and pointed it at his forehead

The Batarian saw this but did nothing, and said nothing

He only shut his eyes

The Batarian's blood splattered on the wall behind him, ending his suffering as he slumped to the ground

Saren got up and few steps later he tripped and fell onto a wall that kept him up, he coughed and hacked and after several coughs blue blood splattered onto the floor

He wiped his wet mouth clean and started jogging in order to make better time

He came into a large open area that led to an alley that the Mercs Barricaded

"I don't have time for this" Saren said to himself as he broke into a run

He made it to the Barricade and vaulted it just as he threw a grenade into the Merc ranks

It was flash bomb and Saren shut his eyes

The flash went off just as Saren hit the floor, the Grenade was specially designed for close quarters, all anyone would have to do to avoid it was close their eyes

Saren ran past the Blinded Mercs without stopping

He reached a small set of stairs and ran down them jumping the last few

Soon he emerged in a large open part of the slums, dotted with pillars and makeshift chest-high barriers meant for cover

Fires burned everywhere but he couldn't proceed, as the place was filled with Vorcha, Krogan, and Varren Ready to attack

As they saw him Saren Dove behind cover just as a barrage of gunfire hit the wall he hid behind

He holstered his pistol and took out his Mattock Assault rifle

He stood up with his back to the wall and popped out of cover, firing a burst that send a nearby Vorcha flying back into a wall

He saw at least ten ready to take his place so just before his shields went out he went back into cover

He heard the tell-tale sounds of the Shield charging back up

He came out of cover again and surveyed what he saw

He saw a Krogan several feet away surrounded by three Vorcha who stayed by his side as their lives depended on it. He saw one Vorcha rapidly approaching, a tank on his back and holding a flamethrower

Acting quickly Saren Surged with Biotic energy and put up a barrier around himself protecting him from the fire as he backed away. He was free when the blast stopped and Saren threw his arm out biotically pulling the Vorcha in

As the other shot Saren the bullets hit the Vorcha who was now in Saren's arms. Saren gathered momentum as he reared back before biotically throwing the Vorcha

Saren had an assault rifle in one hand but he whipped his pistol out in the other and shot the Vorcha's gas tank as he soared toward his comrades. He collided with them and exploded turning the Krogan into a bloody mess and sent his Troop of Vorcha flying every which way

5 soldiers still remained and Saren walked in bracing his assault rifle against his shoulder as he fired it into the nearest Vorcha with one hand

He aimed his pistol with the other blowing the head off the next Vorcha

A Varren was running up just as he unloaded on the third soldier and Saren firmly kicked it in the mouth before firing a pistol shot into its skull

One Krogan and one Vorcha remained and Saren sprinted to the Vorcha just as his Shields ran out and The Krogan took aim with his Shotgun

Saren locked his assault rifle arm around the Vorcha's throat as the many small projectiles from the Krogan's shotgun tore through the Vorcha

Saren pushed the Vorcha who was alive but barely, the Vorcha stumbled closer to the Krogan throwing him off giving Saren the time to aim both his weapons at the Krogan and fire

His shields were down in seconds and he shook as shot after shot went through his body spraying blood in every direction staining the ground

He backed into a pillar and the final shot pierced his skull and he slumped to the ground

Saren admired his work and noticed a slight pain in his thigh

He checked and saw a minor graze that bled slowly

His only wound after killing 11 Vorcha and 2 Krogan, he had a sudden feeling of Pride. He remembered why he was the best Spectre the Council had

He put his weapons back to their respective places on his person and continued walking through the slums

He reached a set of stairs and his map showed him that he had finally reached the Clinic


	5. Chapter 4

Mass Effect Memorandum

Chapter 4

I don't know how I would react if an old teammate of mine turned into a galactic criminal being hunted by the finest soldiers of the galaxy. But I'm pretty sure I'd be very agitated about it. Given that fact that I was a spectre id probably be the one doing the hunting under different circumstances

But now I need to convince one of my old teammates of my good intentions, despite almost destroying the entire galaxy

I'm not sure how, so I'm going to simply confront him and be honest

###

Mordin's clinic was full of sick people and coughing was heard everywhere, the air smelt of medicine and the stink of biological life forms. Guards and assistants went to and fro

Saren walked through slowly, clutching his stomach as he coughed hard,

"Damnit!" he said loudly as he braced himself against the wall

He stumbled into the main room of the clinic where he saw the Orange skinned Salarian Mordin Solus working hard grabbing containers of Meds, injecting, inputting data into his Omni-tool

Saren stumbled up and dropped to his knees as Mordin walked up quickly

He held out his Omni-tool and administered something

Saren felt an immediate feeling of relief fall over him as his sinuses cleared, his throat rid itself of phlegm and his chest stopped throbbing with pain

Saren still had his hood up so Mordin didn't recognize him

"Hmm" he said "Turian Physiology. Resilient. With simple Imuno booster. Should be fine now." He hit a button on his Omni-tool before going back to talking "now to greetings. Turian. Don't recognize you from area. Too well armed to be refugee. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect" he said this as he walked over to a counter "here for something else. Vorcha? Agent to clear them out. Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom not a cause" Mordin quickly walked from the counter and the console back to his medical table a few feet back "the Plague. Investigating possible use of . Too many guns not enough data equipment. Soldiers. Not scientists. Yes yes" Saren was too out of breath to interrupt him, he simply raised a hand and said a faint "wait" Mordin continued anyway "hired guns? Maybe. Looking for someone. Yes! But who? Someone important. Valuable. Someone with secrets. Someone like me" Mordin crosses his arms "me! Looking for me. Why? Who are you? What do you want?"

Saren finally had time to catch his breath as Mordin waited for his answer, Saren stood up and spoke

"I need your help…for a problem"

"Problem! What problem!" he said "no no no no, too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?"

"It has to do with me, there's something wrong with my brain and someone pointed me in your direction"

"Voice. Recognize it. Distinctive. Sinister. Glowing cybernetic facial features. Side fringes on your head. Rushed face paint job suggests changed identity. Saren. Arterius"

Mordin took several steps back as he looked at Saren who took his hood off

"Still weak from plague. Have upper hand. Could kill you if I wanted. Speak your peace"

"The crimes I committed. I was indoctrinated during them I didn't have control over what I was doing"

"Illogical. Geth attacks require planning. Higher cognitive functioning. Indoctrination removes higher cognitive functioning. Argument invalid"

"That would make sense but I didn't make any decisions. Sovereign did, it's a-"

"no no no! Sovereign a ship. Nonsense"

"REAPER! Sovereign was a Reaper!" Saren screamed interrupting the doctor "a race of highly advanced synthetics who every 50000 years wipe out galactic life"

"Hmm. heard this theory before. Piece of sovereign examined. Beyond Geth technologic understanding. Beyond all current technological understanding." Mordin began pacing "Attack details have Sovereign trying to access the relay function of the Citadel bring something back. It's army? Perhaps?" he turned back to Saren "if I believe you. What role do I play?"

"The Reapers can periodically reenter my brain. I need you to develop a counter-measure to keep their signals out"

"Hmm. Difficult. Brainwave signals hard to block. See what I can do" he continued "but. Didn't expect me to disrupt saving lives here for your problem. Did you? Come back in several weeks. Only then will this be over"

"I also need help fighting the Collectors. They've been taking human colonies"

"Ha! Saren I knew. Never lift a finger for human colonies"

"Well I've changed, I'm just trying to atone" he said honestly

"Can . Collectors. Interesting. Plague hitting these slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar. But. Must stop plague first. Already have a cure. Need to distribute it at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them"

"Damnit!" Saren cursed 'it's always something isn't it?"

"Life is a negotiation. We all want. We all give. To get what we want"

The vent up ahead that sounded off with a deep hum all throughout their conversation went dead with a sound like a machine winding down

"Well that couldn't have been a good noise" said Saren

"Vorcha have shut down environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates" he went to his table and took several items "here. Take cure. Also. Bonus in good faith. Weapon from dead Blue Sons mercs. May come in handy against Vorcha. Also Daniel. One of my assistants. Went into Vorcha Territory. Looking for victims. Hasn't come back"

"I make no promises" Saren said as he holstered the Carniflex Pistol Mordin gave him "but I'll keep an eye out"

"Good enough. Told him not to go. But. He's smart. Bright future. I hope"

"I'll be back" Mordin simply nodded and went back to work

Saren cocked both his pistols and left the Clinic following the Halls

He emerged in another open area filled with Krogan and Vorcha

He sprinted to the nearest Pillar as the Bullets started flying firing both his pistols as he ran

He stopped with his back against the pillar

A Vorcha ran up on his left Saren shot him through the head, his body slipped out from underneath him and his limbs flailed one last time before he collided with the ground

Saren walked slowly out of cover holding both his weapons out in front of him

Two Vorcha approached firing from both of Saren's sides. He fired several shots into one before aiming both guns at the other and shooting him over and over

He Ran again and slid into new cover as he saw a Krogan emerge from the battlefield ready to charge

The Krogan surveyed the playing field scanning for his next prey, the Turian who ran in here, he slowly walked around his Shotgun primed and ready

Saren appeared in front of him both his pistols against his forehead

The muzzle flash blinded him as the bullets busted his eyes open

###

"I'm telling you I work for Mordin at the Clinic! I came here to help you!"

"We know your spreading the Plague virus; we saw the vials in your bag"

"Those vials contain the Cure! Please! You have to believe me"

"Maybe we should cut off your fingers that should loosen your tongue"

All eyes turned to the door as several muffled gunshots were heard before the long scream of a Vorcha and a large banging sound as the body collided with the door t the room the Batarian thugs, and Daniel the human pleading for his life, resided

The door opened and a limp Vorcha body fell back for all to see

Just them a cloaked Turian spattered with different colored blood walking in holding dual pistols

'don't move!" a Batarian said whipping a pistol out and aiming it at Daniel "one more step and I kill the human!"

Saren shrugged and aimed his gun "shoot him, you die, take him hostage, you die, do anything else but let him go quietly, and you die"

"You must think Batarians are stupid wha-"

"Yes! I do" Saren said interrupting him

"Well what's to stop you from shooting us in the back if we let him go?"

"Nothing, but you have a better chance if you let him go"

"Ha! There's only one of you and there is three of us"

"If you didn't notice I just killed 50 Vorcha to get here, I think that equally compensates for three barely armed Batarians"

The Leading Batarian was sweating and he lowered his weapon, biggest mistake of his life

A bullet from one of Saren's pistols blew his head out, and Saren pointed one of his pistols at each of his friends firing both guns simultaneously pumping both full of metal and fire

They all hit the ground as Daniel held his eyes shut

Saren approached as he opened his eyes

"You, you murdered them! In cold blood!" his voice heavy with a pathetic anger"

"Get back to Mordin's clinic human! You're trying my patience "

"You said you'd give them a chance!"

"I said they had a better chance, and they did, had they shot you id have killed them quicker'

"Wait until Mordin hears about this!"

"He'll agree with me"

Daniel jogged past in the direction of the clinic

Saren proceeded through the last door to Environmental control

He emerged on a large room with a central platform in the middle with two smaller platforms off to the side connected my two sets of stairs

Near the ceiling Saren saw gigantic fans that weren't operating and all across the Platforms Vorcha ran to and fro

One ran closer to Saren "ARGAHA, you no come here!" it said with anger "we shut don't machines, break fans! Everyone choke and die then collectors make us strong!"

"What do the collectors want!" Saren yelled keeping his Pistol trained on the Vorcha's head

"Collectors want Plague! You work for Doctor! Turn on machines! Put cure in air! We killed you first AGHAGR!"

Saren lifted both pistols as the Vorcha mobilized, the annoying speaking one was his first target dying by several Carniflex shots through its abdomen, his second target was in the middle of a crowd of three Vorcha so he took a grenade from the inner pocket of his cloak and threw it at them sending them flying

Saren broke into a sprint for the main console and as he neared it his Omni-tool flared and he waved it over the console making the mechanism turn green, injecting the cure

More Vorcha and Krogan showed up where he just was and he saw the stairs going to the other platforms lower in the room were on the other end of the room

He made a brake for the railing and hopped on it before hurling himself off

He brought his feet up and just barely made it over the railing of one of the other platforms

He was now behind another group of Vorcha so he quickly went inside the room just beside him before the Vorcha noticed his presence

He hit the second console and half the fans came online

Saren opened the door again and looked out as he stood against the wall just inside the room

A group of five Vorcha waited for him escorted by a Krogan

Saren came out of cover and sprinted toward them clutching a flash grenade that he threw which stunned them all

He brought his fist back as he neared the stunned group which flared with biotic energy

He brought it down on the nearest Vorcha sending him careening into one of his friends knocking them both to the ground

Saren threw a warp at another Vorcha killing him instantly, a singularity just over the edge of the railing pulled the last two Vorcha over the railing to their deaths

The Krogan remained as he just regained his senses

Saren was quicker however and shot him with biotic energy which surrounded him and send him floating closer to the ceiling

Saren lifted his arms as the Krogan got higher and as he struggled

Saren brought his arms down quickly in one motion as the Krogan came crashing down to the ground head first snapping his tough neck

Saren started walking up the steps and when he reached the top he noticed two elevated towers opposite each other each had a Vorcha in it and each fired a missile straight at Saren

He began running and as he ran down the stairs he threw a Warp that soared toward the first heavy colliding with him and sending him off the tower and spiraling to the ground

The second remained but Saren got out of his range quickly and focused on the incoming group

A Pyro was among them so before Saren went to cover he took aim and fired a shot into his tank

Behind cover he didn't see, but he heard the explosion

It sent another Vorcha out of commission besides the Pyro

Saren came out of cover firing both Pistols at the Group until he ran out of ammo sending him back into cover and making him take out his assault rifle

Two Krogan remained and as Saren popped out of cover they both fired their shotguns almost immediately taking down Saren's shields, Saren acted quickly and threw a grenade sending one away but not killing him, Saren continued to fire into the remaining one until he slumped down

Saren was near a wall so as the Second Krogan fired several of the Shotgun pellets ledged themselves in Saren's flesh all around his torso

The range was far enough away however that he could keep going

Saren threw a Warp and wounded the Krogan before several pistol shots finished him off

There was silence as Saren limped to the final control panel and hit the button turning the final fans back on

###

"Environmental systems engaged. Airborne viral levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating. Well done Saren. Thank you"

Daniel spoke up his eyes flared with hatred "Professor how can you thank this…monster, he butchered those Batarians in cold blood"

"They would have killed you! I saved you, hell I saved everyone in these grimy slums!" Saren replied

'He's right. Batarians tortured you. Would have killed you. Right to kill them"

"Mordin how can you say that? You're a doctor you believe in helping people!"

"Lots of way to help people sometimes heal patients, sometime execute dangerous people. Either way helps. Go check on the patients. Think about what I said"

Daniel walked off in a huff

"Good kid. Bit naïve. Letting him take over the clinic"

"What? You don't have to do that, I'm working out of Omega, I don't even have a ship"

"Oh. Well never mind. He'll be second in command. Need me for a mission. You know where to find me. Looking forward to it"

"I'll be heading home, I don't live far from this district, and I'll come in first thing tomorrow to start testing for the countermeasure"

"Of course. Never studied one like yourself. Should be interesting"

Saren walked off in the direction of the nearest transport

###

It was dark in Saren's apartment before he hit the switch and turned the lights on

A small place, a bedroom, a kitchen, a holographic display television, a bedroom not much else

Like the rest of Omega it seemed to be tinted red

As he approached the fridge to get a drink he noticed something

As he felt this he whipped his pistol out and pointed it down the hall

A young woman walked out, the same one as at the Hospital, Miranda Lawson

"Good evening Mr. Arterius" she said her hands on her hips

Saren lowered his firearm "what do you want?" he said as he approached her

"I just came to drop this off" she motioned to a large metal box on Saren's couch "think of it as a care-package from your friends at Cerberus"

Miranda walked to the front door before turning back "and Saren?"

Saren turned to her again, glaring

"What?" he asked

"A lot is riding on this, if you screw it up, a lot of people will die"

Saren nodded "you think I don't know that, and don't worry, I used to be the best"

"That's exactly the problem…used to"

She left and shut the door behind her

Saren looked once again at his apartment, cooking appliances, a TV, bathroom things, he didn't have any tech beyond that

But as he opened the metal box he found a top of the line Computer Terminal which he placed on the couch

He found a heavy weapon folded up, a data-pad holding information on it called it the Arc Projector

Finally he found a large fully glass tank with a small brownish flying creature inside it

It also came with a Datapad

**New Intel**

**The Collectors use these to stun the colonists, one of our agents captured this **one** at one of the colonies, and he died getting it. Have Mordin create a countermeasure for its paralyzing effects.**

**T.I.M., or as you know me **

**Jack Harper**


	6. Chapter 5

Mass Effect Memorandum

Chapter 5

I may be working for them but ive always despised Cerberus. An agent of their's saved my life. They offered me a chance to redeem myself. But as long as they are keeping their eye on me, im going to keep my guard up, and sleep with one eye open.

Now I just need someone who shares my distrust. Because those are the only people I can trust.

###

Saren sat on the examination table as the needle pierced the skin on his neck, he didn't flinch and the sting of the injection barely registered to him, he'd taken much, much worse

His blue blood was extracted and Mordin walked over to a machine and placed the small vial of blood into a machine that spun and whirred as it came to life analyzing the contents of the blood

Mordin took out a data pad and started reading it aloud "found several anaomalies in your bodily structure. Able to transfer electrical impulses from your body to machinery. You described this as a kind of Technopathy correct?"

"yes" he reached for the machine that contained his blood, it made constant low pitch sounds as it went about it's work, as Saren touched it immediately shut off as he commanded in his mind he took his hand off and it came back on again ending his demonstration "something the Reapers did to me, like an AI I can commandeer technology, I used it start cars, open locked doors, only works if I touch it though"

'of course" Mordin replied "other anomalies as well. Increased strength. Muscle implants allow you to exert nearly three times the the normal amount of force your species has. Increased biotic abilities. On par with a maiden asari. As well as untapped biotic receptors"

"untapped?"

"all of your implants are foreign tech. doubt anyone knows what even half of them do. Except the reapers of course. All of them are based on mental triggers. Over time the full extent of your abilities should reveal itself"

"what do you think they are?"

"hmm. No way of knowing. But if my theory is correct. You may very well be the most powerful organic lifeform in the galaxy"

Biotic energy danced between Saren's fingers

His arm was bare and he saw the bits and pieces of synthetic technology glowing and moving slightly, he may be powerful but he wasn't so sure that he was fully organic anymore

"what about the signals, can you get rid of them?"

"yes. Easier than I originally thought. Reapers controlled you through a brain implant. Ingenious. Bypasses ill effects of indoctrination. Subject retains their higher cognitive functioning. Simple procedure should be able to remove it"

"that's great to hear" Saren said relieved "soon I wont be living in fear of the Reapers taking over again"

"soon. Yes"

Both of their eyes turned to the entrance to the clinic as several men walked in

Saren growled when he noticed they wore Cerberus colors and one of them was Miranda Lawson

The others were Cerberus troops wearing full armor, but one stood right next to Lawson, a human with dark brown skin and wearing a black set of light armor

Miranda approached Saren

"what is it this time Human?" Saren said his voice filled with contempt

"we need you for a pickup"

"well use your own damn agents, I'm only on loan to Cerberus"

"believe me Mr. Arterius if we want you to do something, you do it, no questions asked, that is how this works"

Saren was empowered by Mordin's diagnosis of his abilities "go ahead, keep believing that" he said as he put his cloak on "what's this pickup?"

"you need the best for your mission, and she's one of them"

"she?" Saren asked suddenly interested

###

Saren looked out the window of the shuttle they were in, it was taking them to the prison ship Purgatory to pick Jack up, a young human girl with near superhuman biotic abilities. She's supposedly angry, merciless, and perfect for Saren's mission.

He sat back in the seat he resided in on the large shuttle

Within it three others resided

The two Cerberus Agents Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor

Then there was Mordin Solus, and they all prepped their weapons just in case they needed them

Saren stood up and walked over to the window leaning on the wall as he watched the stars

"do we need all the firepower?" asked Saren looking toward Miranda

"a contingency plan, this place is run by the Blue Sons who aren't known for their civility"

Jacob glared at Saren "I thought youd love to shoot the place up, Blue sons are mostly humans afterall"

Saren turned to him and pushed off the wall he leaned against "do you have a problem with me Human?"

"that's just it…you called me 'Human' not Jacob, or even Taylor, just 'human' as if that's all that matters. It probably all that even mattered to you"

"I don't trust humans, Mr. Taylor, I trust and defend my own species, a concept I believe you understand, you did join Cerberus afterall"

"you don't know me"

"oh really, I know you're human, and if you haven't figured it out yet, I don't trust humans, it's always been a human who fights against my race, a human who betrayed my trust, and you know what, that human now leads Cerberus, the organization you sold your service too"

"Cerberus has done more good than you will ever do!" Jacob shot up from his seat and got in Saren's face "it was a Turian who started a terrible war we are still fighting, who almost unleashed a terrible Horror on the Galaxy that would kill Billions of people, and that Turian is standing in this room"

Miranda stood between them before the situation escalated "enough!" she ordered

The Shuttle pulled into Purgatory and the doors opened

###

They group of four walked through the docking area of the Prison ship Purgatory

As they walked they saw a small troop of Blue sons mercs a masked Turian soldier at their head

Saren's group approached Miranda at their head

"good evening miss Lawson" the Turian soldier said "your package is being prepped and you can claim it shortly, as this is a high security vessel we ask that your relinquish any weapons you might be carrying"

Saren clicked his pistol that he was carrying, loading it

"my team will keep their weapons" Miranda replied "or there's no deal"

The Turian soldier was caught off guard by this and was only stopped when an older looking Turian approached "everyone stand down" he said "miss Lawson im Warden and this is my ship, your weapons will be returned on the way out, you must realize this is just a standard procedure"

"we keep our weapons" she stared blankly into his eyes, not backing down

Kuril saw this "let them proceed, our facility is more than secure enough to handle 4 armed guests"

The group continued walking into a mostly glass toob with a catwalk on it, outside the glass windows were rows apon rows of cells, boxes that were moving around being carried by large metal claws. Some where out and about walking around, but under the ever watchfull eye of the blue sons guards.

Kuril turned toward the group "cell block 2" he said motioning to the cells and pods outside the windows as they walked"as you can see, we keep tight control over the population, each prisoner's cell is a self contained modular unit, ive blown a few out the airlocks as an example, this ship is made out of thirty cell blocks identical to this one, we house thousands of criminals, we can put the whole place in lock down on a moment's notice, nothing goes wrong here" he finished saying as he looked about clearly proud of his work with the ship"

Miranda nodded "seems expensive, keeping a population this immense in space"

"we can cut corners that governments cant" Kuril said "and each prisoner brings in a fee from thier homeworld, these individuals are violent and their home planets pay well to keep them here"

"what happens if the homeworld doesn't pay?"

"we explain that we cant maintain the prisoner without their help, so we release them back onto the planet …at an unspecified place and time"

Saren crossed his arms and glared at him "how did a guy like you end up running this ship?" he said

"I was in Law enforcement on palaven" he walked to the window and looked out "and got sick of seeing criminals escape out into the galaxy and carry on with their crimes, bounty hunters aren't dependable, eventually I hit apon this idea, keep the criminals in space, and the galaxy is a safer place"

"you think this is necessary?"

"every day I see the worst sapient life has to offer, governments are soft, unwilling to make the hard choices, someone had to stand up and make the galaxy safe"

"couldn't agree more" Saren said while looking out at the cells

"lets get on with this" said Miranda

As they continued on a thought arose in Saren's mind "the prisoners try pretty hard to get out don't they"

"we're in space, they have nowhere to go and they know it" Saren noticed a fight about to go down on the prison floor two prisoners arguing "but still we exercise extreme caution, these are dangerous individuals" a small electric tower arose beside the prisoners that shot out energy that encased both prisoners in a shield of energy separating them "we have many ways to control the population" a door opened in front of them and Kuril walked away "im going to confirm thaqt the funds from Cerberus cleared, out processing is straight down this hallway, just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the super-max wing" Kuril stopped for a moment to look at Miranda, he seems to glare at here before he kept going

"ill catch up with you later, Miss Lawson"

The rest of the group continued but Saren stopped to watch a prison cell

A Turian Guard inside was beating a human prisoner over and over he shrieked in pain after every hit

A Turian guard on the outside saw Saren watching "is there something I can do for you?"

"good god, just kill him already" Saren said the beating bothering him

"no, this guy deserves much worse than that"

"criminals beat people for sport, are you a criminal?" Saren glared at the guard

The Guard shook his head "your right, im better than this" he brought up his comm. "we're done, let him go"

The Turian doing the beating stopped and left the cell

Mordin looked inquisitively at Saren "that was unlike you"

"yeah, well don't let it get around, I have a reputation"

###

Kuril entered his control room and saw the 4 people waiting for him inside

A Turian wearing heavy blue armor, Garrus Vakarian

and a one eye visor, a Quarian with a disheveled somewhat purple suit on, with a small tattered cape draped over one of her shoulders, Tali'Zorah

A light faced Asari with a tight black suit on, Liara T'soni

And finally a female human with black hair wearing grey heavy armor, on the left end of her chest an N7 was emblazed , Ashley Williams

"why did you call us here?" asked the human, clearly the leader

Kuril approached the security screens and turned on the screen for outprocessing showing an open room where Saren's group resided

"the face you released for the human, her name is Miranda Lawson a top ranking agent for Cerberus

They crowded around the screen, Tali was in front leaning on the security table

"and look who she brought with her" the screen zoomed in on Saren just as he turned toward the Camera, his face was hooded but his deep glowing eyes

"keelah" the Quarian exclaimed "it's him"

Ashley unfolded her assault rifle and loaded it "Kuril, lock down outprocesssing, we're going in, and we expect your cooperation"

"of course, and I expect to be paid that bounty on his head" Kuril replied "ill send some of my men with you"

The Turian approached the human "what about everyone else?"

"take Saren alive" Ashley said "we'll kill him after we interrogate him, see what he's up to" Ashley began walking to the door "kill the rest"

###

As Saren and the others entered outprocessing with a single other person in there with him

He appeared to get a message on his omni-tool, he immediately left after that, and the doors shut

The group stood still for a moment, getting no new instruction

"something isn't right" Saren said aloud

Miranda brought up her omni-tool "I don't have a signal, something's jamming it"

"my apologies Miss Lawson" said Kuril over the PA system "but your Turian friend has quite the price on his head, much more than you paid me for Jack"

The doors to Outprocessing locked the console turned red

"the Council team will be arriving shortly to finish the job"

"shit!" Saren exclaimed "they're here!"

Miranda ran to the door bringing her Omni-Tool up trying to get into the door system, trying to hack it open

She couldn't get in "we're trapped!" Miranda yelled as she kicked the metal door

Saren walked up to the door "out of my way" he said "I can fix this"

Saren placed his palm against the door and cleared his mind as he always did, he shut his eyes and reached out electricity dancing between his hand and the door as he controlled the tech of the door as he would a limb, his eyes shot open and he saw the process, he usually kept his eyes closed

A green aura surrounded the door and as he finally bypassed the lock the green seemingly holographic aura shattered and the door opened

Miranda stood back "how did you do that?"

"long story" Saren answered as he walked through into the hallways

"how did you escape!" exclaimed Kuril over the PA "all units mobilize to outprocessing, take them out!"

Saren took his assault rifle out as the rest of his group did the same Saren walked around the corner, in no hurry

He fired a burst into the first Merc to show his facekilling him almost instantly before straffing and firing at the next group while running to cover

Mordin fired his pistol into the head of another merc killing him while Jacob pulled another in biotically shooting him with his shotgun

After that the group continued on and ended up in a small control room populated by a single scientist

As the nervous scientist heard the door open he grabbed his pistol and turned around firing frantically

Saren raised his rifle and fired a single shot that pierced his skull between his eyes splattering the window behind him with red blood

Saren approached the console as he saw the room beyond the window

A large cryo pod in the middle of it lowered into the floor, surrounded by dormant Heavy Mechs

Saren hit a few buttons "we're in luck" he said "this is Jack's cell" he hit a few more buttons observing what he could do with it "but the only way to release her is b y opening every other cell on the ship"

"no" said Mordin "would cause too much destruction, collateral damage"

"we're in space, the criminals have no place to escape to, opening the cells would be…a welcome distraction"

"this place has to have escape pods" said Jacob "some dangerous people could escape, use that ability you have, only open Jack's cell"

"no, I have the galaxy's best hunting me, and they're on this ship right now, this buys me some time" Saren hit the button and opened every cell in the ship"

Saren watached the pod raise as Jacob Glared at him

Inside was a small human girl, bald head, tattoos covering nearly every inch of her body, with only a single thin strap of clothing covering her upper body and a pair of thick baggy pants covering her lower half

She was clamped into the pod but when her eyes opened she was easily able to free herself

As she saw the Heavy mechs start to move toward her she charged in her hand glowing biotically before she collided with the mechs sending parts flying in every direction

The group in the control room began to move immediately finding their way into the cryo chamber as quickly as they could, finding only destruction as Jack had already left the room

###

Jack sprinted into the rioting cell block, guards fired openly into the crowd but doing little to quell the chaos

"Jack!" someone yelled from behind her 'stop!"

Jack stopped for a single moment and as she turned she saw a group of 4 people, a Turian, a Salarian, and two humans

The Turian was the one yelling

She wondered how they caught up before groaing and going back to running

Saren broke into a run after her "ill get her" he told his group who were busy fighting rioting prisoners and guards

Saren's shields took every hit as he chased after Jack, neither one stopping for anything as they both entered the door to the next cell block

Miranda and the others stayed behind and fought their way through

A group of Prisoners were ahead of them shooting ahead at the guards and as the remaining three proceeded they fired into the group, and clearing a path

###

As the alarms went off Ashley was still trying to locate Saren "fuck!" she exclaimed "Tali what's going on?"

"full alert" Tali said "every cell in this place has been opened"

"shit! Find the bastard hack all the security cams"

"cell block 3" said Liara

"how do you know?" asked Ashley

They stood in a catwalk overlooking a cell block and Liara pointed to a a lone person in a the crowd

A cloaked Turian sprinting through running after a small human girl

They overlooked Cell Block 3

As Jack blew asaide all in her wake Saren anticipated every move she made

She knew she was being chased and every time she threw something in front of Saren or shot a biotic power behind her he was ready blocking attacks, vaulting debris, althroughout the chase bullets flying past their heads

###

Miranda Jacob and Mordin stayed in cover coming out every few seconds to shoot at escaping convicts or Guards who were told to shoot them

Just then a the sounds of a heavy mech were heard as one appeared firing it's machine guns

All of the group went straight back into cover as the mech approached closer and closer as it fired at them

It ended up killing the last of the convicts as collateral damage, leaving only it and the group

Miranda popped out of cover and sent an overload attack which brought down the mech's shields a precious notch, she fired with her SMG for several more seconds before her shields were entirely depleted

It was jacob's turn as he fired several shots from his shotgun the concussive force bringing down it's shields completely

Mordin fired and incinerate before all three came out of cover and fired simultaneously bringing the mech's shields down quicker than it could their's

It's head shattered first and as it fell to it's artificial knees they group heard the beeping resonate from the machine

They dove away as it exploded in a cloud of fire and twisted metal

###

Saren continued running and just then Jack was about to reach a guard who yelled "stop!" to which she did not obey

She lifted him several feet in the air before punching him sending him immediately into a window cracking it

The guard beside him was giving a similar fate sent careening into a ditch beside the catwalk by jack's biotics

She turned a rage filled eye toward the window seeing a small shuttle docked

Her eye focuse don the emblazended Cerberus symbol on it's side

"CERBERUS!" she said before she shook around punching a swin=ping at the air

Saren caught up by then and saw a guard run at her from behind

He threw a warp which stopped his heart in one hit

"WAIT!" he said as Jack saw him, and stopped running

"what the hell do you WANT!" she said her voice choked with Rage

"show respect human! I just saved your ass"

"he was already dead, he just didn't know it, now, what the hell do you want!"

"im here to get you off this ship, I need you for my current mission"

"im not going anywhere with you, your Cerberus"

"im Turian, do you really believe that"

"I don't care about Cerberus' race policies, but you showed up in a Cerberus Shuttle, that's enough for me"

"really? What did Cerberus do to you?" Saren said suddenly intrigued with the young human

"none of your fucking business"

"im not part of Cerberus, think of me as a freelancer, im only working with them to further my goals, not their's and I promise you, if I get you out of here, if you work for anyone it'll be me, not Cerberus

"you expect me to believe that, you and your Cerberus buddies show up to take me away somewhere, you think im stupid"

"maybe, this ship is going down in flames im offering you an escape route, and your arguing, seems stupid to me"

"hey fuck you!"

"fine, name your terms"

"your connection with Cerberus, I bet you could get me access to their databases, I wanna look at those files, see what Cerberus has got on me, you want me on your team? Let me go through those databases"

Saren would smile if he could "Cerberus wont like it, but im valuble enough that they'd give it to me, done"

"you better be straight up with me" Jack pointed and Glared at Saren "so why the hell are we standing here!"

###

By the time Miranda and the others reached the Shuttle Saren and jack were already there Jack waiting inside and saren leaning against a wall

"bout time you got here" Saren said "I was thinking about leaving without you"

"very funny" Miranda said glaring at him

"by the way jack agreed to help me under the condition that she get full access to Cerberus' databases"

"Saren you not authorized to do that!"

Jack stepped out of the shuttle smiling "oh, it upsets the cheerleader, even better" she said her voice filled with spite

"she'll get access Lawson, even if you don't give it to her, ill find some other way"

"ha" jack exclaimed going back into the shuttle

Miranda shot daggers through saren with her eyes "Cerberus is leading this operation Arterius" she said her voice heavy with frustration "whether you like it or not, your disobedience is not helping you"

Saren got closer to her his body flaring with Biotic energy "you need to understand something Lawson, you cant threaten me, if the galaxy's greatest killers couldn't catch me for over 2 years than Cerberus certainly cant either, you have NOTHING on me, I am in control"

Saren walked out and Miranda was filled with frustration at Saren's comments but she walked onto the shuttle her arms crossed

###

"so you let him go!" screamed Kuril as he paced in his control room staring at the Council's team, his voice filled with apprehension at losing the reward of a lifetime

"we did the best we could" said Ashley glaring at the Turian "sorry we had to fight our way through hoards of your psychotic prisoners, your lucky we called in Alliance reinforcements or else this whole ship would be blown to hell"

Tali walked in the door working on her Omni-tool approaching Kuril and Ashley "entire sections of the ship were opened to space, the engine almost blew but when the team arrived they were able to put the fires out and salvage what they could, the ship is scrap now, we're living off the life support systems of one of the Alliance ships whose power I had connected to this ship, nothing's left but most of the dead have been accounted for, except one"

"who?" asked Ashley

"Jack AKA Subject Zero, notorious Biotic criminal"

"yeah" Kuril said "saren came to pick her up, paid a lot for her"

"your going to give us all of the information you have on her" Ashley demanded

"that is privalaged information" replied kuril "why would I give it to the people who lost my entire ship"

"because if you don't, then we kill you"

"ha!" he exclaimed "you know how many people much more important than you get their money straight from my pockets, you cant touch me"

Ashley took her pistol out and pushed Kuril up against the wall shoving the barrel into his face

"you think you can threaten a Spectre!" Ashley screamed in his face "I can do whatever I want"

She pointedhis pistol down and firing into Kuril's foot, he tried to scream before Ashley kept his mouth closed with a firm hand

"your going to give us what we need" she stated as a simple fact

She let go of him and took a step backas he fell to the floor breathing heavily

He pulled himself onto a seatand started typing

"good boy" Ashley said smiling

Tali stood there her expression invisible but behind the mask it was one of surprise "you scare me sometimes, you know that"

"gets the job done"

"why did you do that? When did you become so ruthless"

"when John died" Ashley looked at her lot with anger, but sorrow here eyes glossy and wide before she walked off


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I hate being in situations where I'm not in control, it's only happened to me twice, the first time was the business with Jack Harper, and then it was the situation 2 years ago with Sovereign

After being indoctrinated I promised myself I'd never let anyone control me, I'd die first

###

Saren walked onto the metal floors of Omega Jack walking beside him "so this is where we're gonna be, this the best you can do?"

"There are no records on Omega; it's easy to disappear" said Saren "I need to talk to you, away from the others, come ill buy you something to eat"

"I won't say no if you're buying" the two walked away as Miranda watched them

"What do you think they need to talk about?" asked Miranda to Jacob

"Don't know, don't care" he replied

"I'll give my report to the Illusive Man, wait here"

###

Saren walked into King's diner seeing the white walls and seeing Blu standing behind the counter with a notepad in her hands taking the order of a customer sitting at the counter

Jack walked just beside him and sat beside him when he sat at the counter

He raised his hand slightly and Blu saw this looking at him nervously

"Hi" she said sounding almost afraid "what would you like today?"

Saren looked at her inquisitively "something wrong?"

"It's just the other day, I wasn't expecting that"

"I understand, when I first saw death I was shocked too"

"Thanks though, I asked around, that guy really did poison his drinks, you're the first person to do anything about it"

"I'll have the usual by the way, and put her on my tab" he motioned to Jack who was reading the menu

Blu walked back into the kitchen

Jack looked at Saren "I don't get you" she said "I looked you up on the ride over, angry, ruthless, a racist fuck, yet here you are, buying me lunch, saving that girl's life, recruiting me in the first place"

"I'm not as bad as everyone makes me out to be, at least…not anymore" he said "and let's be clear, I don't like you, but I don't have to, you're against Cerberus, which means you're someone I can trust"

"Why do you work for them?"

"They work for me, their giving me their resources, and I'm dealing with a problem of theirs, the Collectors, my mission is to stop them from abducting human colonies"

"Abducting entire colonies…damn" Jack raised a hand "you" she said pointing to Blu who came out of the kitchen "I'd like a steak, medium rare"

"Of course" she replied going back into the kitchen

"So" jack said "is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"One other thing, I want access to the Cerberus database as well, I'll make sure they give you access but I need you to forward all data to my personal console"

"Done, but can't you just ask for it yourself?"

"No, they don't trust me enough for that; I need them to believe it's just you"

###

"You can't be serious!" yelled Miranda in the Holographic conference room

"You need to stay in Omega, so does Jacob, disappear, the Council's team knows who you are, and who you work for"

"So I have to stay here, and do what?"

"Continue to work with Saren"

"That's another problem, Saren thinks he's in charge, he's not listening to us anymore"

"Let him, you're not under his command but your now his liaison to Cerberus, anything he wants from us, he has to go through you"

"Just let him dominate this operation, he'll ruin everything"

"Miranda Saren is a lot of things, stupid isn't one of them, I trust that he can get this job done just like all his others, and he doesn't care what it takes"

"I don't trust him; I think he's only out for himself"

"keep an eye on him then, make sure he doesn't do anything to harm Cerberus, in the mean time I've used some of Cerberus' funding to buy you and Jacob apartments in Omega as well as cover identities, you can disappear, stay out of the council's spotlight"

"Of course sir" she said before shutting the holographic display off

###

Saren left the diner and Jack walked off "see you around, give me a call if you need something murdered" she knew exactly where to go

"Where are you going?" asked Saren

"I've got a nice little hole over in the slums waiting for me, lived there for a month once" she approached a transport terminal and Saren turned toward his own Car

A red sky car he bought for himself years before

As he approached where he parked it he saw a man leaning on it

He was older, thin balding hair, old looking features, and a scar across his eye. He wore yellow and white armor

As he saw Saren he raised a hand to catch his attention

"Are you Saren Arterius?" he said his voice gravely and deep

Saren crossed his arms and looked inquisitively at the human "who wants to know?"

"Zaeed Massani, Cerberus hired me to help you on your mission, I'm a bounty hunter"

"Bounty hunter eh?" Saren said as he looked at Zaeed with suspicion "you know the price I have on my head" Saren's hand instinctively went to his gun holster

"Relax, Cerberus is paying me double the price on your head, but more than that, they said you could help me with… a favor"

"What favor?"

"Picked up a mission a while back, before I signed on with Cerberus, thought you might be interested, you ever heard the name Vido Santiago?" Saren shook his head "he's the head of the Blue Sons, runs the whole organization, seems he recently captured and Elfell Ashland refinery on Zorya, and is using their workers for slave labor, the company wants it dealt with"

"I'll see what I can do, but my mission takes priority"

"I know you've got bigger fish to fry, that's why I want to get this other thing dealt with as soon as possible" he pushed off Saren's car and started walking away "I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done"

###

Jack entered her little hole in the slums a back-water chamber near the sewers, complete with everything she needed

It was dirty, accessed by removing a floor grating and dropping in it was located in one of Omega's maintenance tunnels

It came complete with a tarp that was stretched out over a hammock tied between a wall and a support pole

A table she had found and an old computer console she stole, as well as a single chair

There was no door but it was out of sight, no one could even see it from the street, it was safe, secure, defensible, and best of all, no one would bother her, because to everyone outside, she was invisible

She sighed and relaxed as she lay down on her Hammock bringing her Omni-tool up typing on the holographic device.

She received a message

**To Jack AKA Subject Zero**

**You have been given full access to Cerberus' database, this access will be redacted should you release this information to anyone not involved with Cerberus or the Mission against the Collectors, or otherwise use this information in a way detrimental to Cerberus and its goals. **

**From, Agent Miranda Lawson of Cerberus**

Jack chuckled to herself at seeing the Cheerleader's name, and at her bowing to Saren's wishes, instead of the other way around.

She brought the database up and started with a basic search of every name she's ever gone by.

Several different things came up

"Biotic Criminal destroys Cerberus Ship"

"Codename 'Zero': Termination order" she smiled to herself, that Assassin never even got close.

"Pragia facility wiped out, one known survivor" she stopped at this one opening it and reading

###

Jacob was given a small drab apartment, one bedroom, one bathroom, a large living room and an expensive looking kitchen

He had a new home, a new life, and a new name to the locals of Omega his name was Davis West

His first order of business in his new home was relaxation, he sat on the couch, laying down and turned on the TV that came with the apartment, he watched an obscure Krogan sport he'd grown fond of for about an hour, his attention wrapped to it, he bought a few beers from a local store, worked out for another hour, about an hour after that Cerberus Workers arrived

Jacob opened the door already back in uniform, expecting their arrival

One of them walked in a young man with brown hair "good evening Agent Taylor, where would you like these?" he referred to the crates behind him, filled to the brim with weaponry and ordinance

"In the spare room in the back please" Jacob said as he stepped into the empty room he spoke of

A small room with gray walls about 15 feet in diameter

They moved the crates in and left

Jacob surveyed the room and changed from his uncomfortable uniform to a set of black pants and a white T-shirt

The apartment came with a set of Furniture, desks and tables

He was able to move a long table into the room he designated to store the weapons taking up roughly half the diameter of the room pressed against the back wall

He moved a desk and a rolling chair in setting up his computer console on the desk

He opened the crates and took stock

M-22 Eviscerator shotgun, standard issue to all Cerberus personnel

M-15 Vindicator Assault rifle, short bursts, semi-automatic

M-29 Incisor Sniper rifle, manufactured for police and military work

These and many others shipped to Jacob, the team's Armory Officer

###

Miranda saw her clean, rich, apartment the best place Cerberus money could buy, a king sized bed, state of the art Kitchen and a Balcony. She stepped out onto it and saw the sprawl of Omega which offered nothing to Miranda but the resurfacing of bad memories of her time here, of her missions. But looking past that it was a beautiful sight, the orbiting station was positioned just so that she could watch the sun of this system floating in space, the Balcony was closed off by glass in case of decompression outside, but Miranda knew, it also covered up Omega's stink

She went over Mission reports, went over Dossiers for Possible team members. Cooked herself a simple dinner. All this she did in a systemized and scheduled manner

Lastly she went over her new identity. Samantha Walker, a high end business woman who dabbles in illegal dealings, which is why she would be found on Omega.

She brought up her comm. For a call

"Lanteia" she said on the comm. Line

Lanteia was her Contact, and a small-time information broker, hired by Miranda to keep an eye on her sister, Oriana.

"Hello Miss Lawson, is there something you need?"

"Yes, I'd just like a report on my sister"

"She's doing fine Miranda, your father hasn't figured out where she is"

"Do you know anything about her like, how is she doing in school?"

"I don't know I don't watch her that closely, why don't you just talk to her?"

"It's not that simple, I haven't seen her since we were both children, I can't just suddenly come into her life"

"Suit yourself; I have other business to attend to, bye Miranda"

"Goodbye" she hung up and sighed, her mind swimming with thoughts, and regrets

###

It's an hour later and Miranda walked to the door as someone rang the bell

She wore a casual jumpsuit one just like anyone would where and she hit the button to open the sliding door

She saw the tall dark Turian in his long black coat, who when the door opened, walked in on his own, not waiting for Miranda to invite him in

"What's this about Lawson?" Saren said responding to Miranda's summoning of him here

"I just have to go over a few things with you" she said just as the door automatically closed

Saren leaned against a nearby wall as Miranda stood across from him her arms crossed

"my role in this operation has changed, you were never an official part of Cerberus but we aided you directly, now the rest is up to you, Jacob received all Armaments that we need for the mission, should your require such, you go to him, for anything else you come to me, Cerberus should be able to supply it"

"And why couldn't this exchange happen over a comm. Channel?"

Miranda walked over to a datapad and handed it to Saren, he immediately looked it over

"The Council and the Alliance has been hijacking more and more of our communication since they learn of my involvement, Cerberus has been spreading lies about me and Jacob being rogue agents but they remain suspicious, until the heat goes down, all exchanges of information and data must be in-person"

"Great" Saren exclaimed "and I was hoping I didn't have to deal with you humans face-to-face so much anymore"

Miranda sighed irritated and walked away

Saren put the datapad in one of his pockets and walked to the door hitting the button and opening it

"Nice place by the way"he said before leaving


	8. Chapter 7

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 7

_I currently have a…rocky relationship with the Krogan race; half condemn me for trying to enslave their race. After all I did, Sovereign didn't force me to do that, I may have been indoctrinated, but it was my idea, not Sovereign's. The other half of the Krogan want to join my side, with the faint hope that maybe I could help them, work on the Genophage maybe._

_But that doesn't matter now, I have something they want, a bargaining chip important enough to tip the odds in my favor. _

_Now I just need to choose the opportune moment, to show it_

_### _

Saren's eyes opened and surveyed the reddish ceiling of the Omega Clinic

His eyes pointed downward seeing the plastic apparatus cupped around his mouth with a tube coming out connected to a tank, filled with a narcotic gas.

For some reason his hands were strapped to the operating table

Mordin stepped into view writing on a clip board

He saw Saren "ah! You're awake. The operation was a complete success" he said as he released Saren's hands

Saren removed the gas apparatus "why did you strap me down?"

"Just a precaution. I didn't know how you would have reacted to the anesthesia. Normally it seems"

"So that's it? The control implant is gone?"

"Yes" Mordin went to a table and retrieved something

He came back with a tiny chip held inside some pliers

"It's that small?" asked Saren

"Yes. Takes control of the brain. Places and alters thought processes in real time. Monitors as well. Has a maximum broadcast range though. Explains why the Reapers couldn't control you after Sovereign was destroyed. Nearest reaper out of range"

Saren sighed with relief "you have no idea how much better I feel doctor, I can't thank you enough"

"Yes well. I have idea for the device. Could perhaps weaponize it. Put into a combat drone or a flying device. Could be useful"

"Do what you want with it; I'm just glad it's out of my head"

Saren got up and stretched the procedure took several hours, he felt rested

He opened up his Omni tool checking the dossiers

"Well looks like the next person to go after would be a Warlord Okeer, some Krogan scientist doing work on a little known world called Korlus"

"Excellent, I'll send word for the others"

"Just jack if that's okay, I'd rather not have Cerberus around when we talk to this, Krogan scientist"

"Why?"

"Think about, a Krogan scientist is most likely researching the Genophage, say he recognizes me, remembers what I did on Virmire, I don't want Cerberus agents Hearing that conversation"

"I understand. Will contact Jack. Meet her at Transport station. A Cerberus Shuttle will bring us to Korlus"

###

The Shuttle sped through Korlus' atmosphere Saren leaned against the window and surveyed the junk-filled desert beyond

"The dossier doesn't say anything about why Okeer is here, assume hostiles" Saren ordered his two team members "Intel says that he's being guarded by Blue Sons mercs"

The Shuttle touched down and the three soldiers trotted out holding their guns out in front of them as they took cover

"there is only one measure of success, kill or be killed" said a voice over the loudspeaker"

They jogged around a corner before seeing a large metal Archway the led to a group of Blue Sons whose attention immediately shifted to them

"Being hired is merely the beginning, you must earn your place in the mighty army we are building" the voice continued

One of them screamed an order before Jack sent a shockwave down into them to split them apart

Saren lifted his assault rifle, Mordin his SMG and Jack her Shotgun and they were easily able to gun down the scattered and small group

One Merc, a young human was hit once in the shoulder and once in the leg he fell down and sat up against the wall

"Shit…shit!" he cursed "won't stop bleeding. I'm gonna…I'm gonna, son of a bitch"

Mordin approached "doesn't look that bad" he said

"He doesn't need to know that" Saren said as he crouched by the merc sitting against the wall

"I knew it wasn't berserkers, not at range" he said blood spattered on his face "you're Mercs, or military I don't know what you are" he shook his head "I'm not, I'm not telling you anything"

Saren's Omni-tool flared to life "not very smart to give the silent treatment to your only lifeline, we have Medigel, and the Salarian" he motioned to Mordin "is a doctor, but maybe I'll just let you die, human"

"son of a bitch…I just, I don't know anything, I just shoot the overflow from the labs, the old Krogan up there, he's really been cleaning house lately, Jedore hired him to make her an army, but the Krogan he creates are insane, so we use 'em for live ammo training, it's all crap, I don't get paid enough to god damn bleed out"

"Outpost four" said a voice on the Merc's radio "Jedore wants us to move, I need coordinates on the Krogan pack"

Saren leaned in grabbing the merc by the collar of his armor holding his pistol to his face

"I want your Merc friends gone, got it!"

"Uhh, patrol?" the Merc began "Krogan pack…dispersed, lost sight five minutes ago"

"Dispersed? Jedore'll be pissed" the Radio continued "she wanted a show"

"You asked for a report you got it, dispersed"

"Affirmative, returning to the lab"

"Good" Saren said "now go"

"What! You said you'd help me?"

"I changed my mind; now start limping before I lose my patience"

The Merc glared but limped off whining and cursing on his way

"Funny" Jack said simply

"I thought so" Saren agreed before they continued on

###

The Tank-Bred had gotten his hands on a shotgun from a Mercenary he strangled with his own hands

He had made it to a large open area and searched around seeing the fleshy humans, searching and hunting for beings to satiate his need for death

A small group of mercs were running at him and he aimed his shotgunfiring into the first of them, knocking him back spraying his red blood all around

The Tank-Bred charged colliding with two of the Mercs knocking them away from each other

The third one brought his rifle to bear but the Tank-Bred struck out with the butt of his shotgun, knocking the Merc out cold

He beat the unconscious body with the sole of his foot, and the butt of his gun until blood seeped out from the crevices of the pathetic being's body

He was knocked back slightly by the gunshots of the merc to his right

He aimed his shotgun with one hand just as the Merc got close and blew his head into two pieces

The last was too his left and was scrambling for his gun

The Tank-Bred walked closer seeing the looks of Terror on the face of the merc as he tried to crawl to his gun

The Tank-Bred got their first and gave him a shove with his foot until he was lying on his back

Holding his gun like a club the Tank-Bred struck the Merc across the face breaking and bleeding his nose, the second time a scrape appeared across his face and his skull fractured

He did this over and over until the head looked nothing like it did before, now a mess of blood and broken bone

the Tank-Bred turned to a new threat a group of mercs shooting at him from a balcony he aimed his gun and remained in the open firing at the mercs as all five fired on him

Bullets pierced his skin and he felt the end coming as he fought a losing battle

But then a ball of blue light flew through the air and collided with one of the Mercs making him shake and spasm before flipping over the railing and falling to the ground, dead

A Turian came into view, a long coat and hooded firing at the Mercs, then a small painted Human girl and a Salarian all helping the Tank-Bred kill the Mercs

When they finished the Tank-Bred looked at them wide glowing Yellow eyes scanning them inquisitively deciphering whether they were friend or foe

"You…are different, new, you don't smell like this world, seven night cycles and I have felt only the need to kill, but you, something makes me speak"

"That thing is a week old!" Jack said almost angrily

Saren thought "he must breed them full sized ready to kill, I did something similar on Virmire, but on a much grander scale"

"Bred…to kill? No" the Tank-Bred said "I kill because my blood and bone tell me to, but it's not why I was flushed from glass-mother, survival is what I hear in my head, against the enemy that threatens all my kind, but I failed, even before waking, that is what the voice in the water said, that is why I wait here"

"Can you take me to this…Glass-Mother?" Saren said "too Okeer"

"She is up, past the broken parts, behind many of you fleshy things, I will show you"

He walked over to a large piece of debris wiping his hands against each other as he walked

He gripped both sides of the metal debris and lifted it before tossing it away, revealing a passage

"You fleshy things are slow when big things are in your way" the Krogan stated as Saren and the others approached

"Come, fight with us to the lab"

"No, I am waiting, the voice told me, if they come, I fight, but I will not run, and I will not follow" he turned and walked away "I am not perfect but I have purpose"

As he reached the center of the area again he spoke "I must wait until called…released"

Saren walked into the passage the Krogan uncovered a rock tunnel that led down in a slope

As he got half way down he heard someone yell

"THEY'RE LOOSE! Run for you damn life! They're all free!"

Just then a group of franticly running Mercs came into view that immediately began shooting at Saren and his group

The squad raised their weapons shooting at, and slaughtering the Mercs

###

The Purple skinned Asari jogged up to the large Krogan, they both stood in a control room with a large Krogan tank beside him

"Okeer" the Asari said her face filled with concern "we have to get out of here, someone is coming, it looks like it's for you"

"No, I cannot leave my prototype behind Thanoptis"

Rana saw the Krogan in the tank, pure orange skin, white armor and head plates like rocks

"Is it done? Is he ready?"

"Yes…I cannot leave him behind Rana, I suggest you get back to your station and hide, this place won't be safe much longer"

Rana nodded and ran off

###

Saren and the others reached a set of platforms connected by a set of metal bridges

He looked ahead and saw several different Krogan all waiting for him toting guns

Saren ran forward aiming his assault rifle as he did

He fired it into the first Krogan before he noticed Saren and as he got close pushed him biotically into the ravine beside each of the bridges making him roar as he fell to his death

Jack got in front of Saren as the next Krogan charged toward them firing a powerful warp that didn't kill the Krogan but knocked him back

Jack proceeded to send the Krogan flying into the air

He bounced off a metal part of a wall and was floating over the ravine before he fell

The final two had grouped together; one had a shotgun and the other a missile launcher

A missile was fired at Jack whose shields were down completely

Her unprotected form would be blown apart by the missile, but at the instant the missile left the barrel of the Krogan's heavy weapon, Saren had already stepped in its way, in front of Jack

His body flared and his eyes glowed blue

The missile shook and almost went off its course

Instead it shook and stopped inches in front of Saren's face, floating on its own

Saren's eyes flared and he roared with rage as he sent the missile flipping back before it collided with the head of one Krogan who held the launcher sending him over the edge of the bridge he stood on

The last Krogan was sent back and collided with a crate before falling to the ground

He screamed with rage as he tried to get up but Mordin was soon at his side firing pistol shots into the Krogan's chest

It was only then that the light that glowed around Saren's body was snuffed out as he stood observing his kill

Jack walked out in front of him breathing heavily, tired from the fight

"Damn" she exclaimed seeing the two Krogan bodies "never seen anyone do THAT before"

"Incredible" Exclaimed Mordin as Saren continued on, the others walking beside him "increased biotic manipulation, reflexes hone enough that you stopped the Rocket within its single second flight time. Abilities suggest full Biotic Telekinesis. Told you, you had special abilities. Just had to show themselves

Saren Held his hand out to a nearby crate which then flickered with blue energy lifting a few inches before crashing back down

"Damnit!" Saren exclaimed loudly "that catch took a lot out of me, I need to recharge"

As he walked his energy built back up again, his only limitation being what could be done at one time

###

Rana was searching through the rubble hearing the explosions and gunfire outside

She searched for datapads, Omni-tool storage devices, anything that contained her work

As she heard a door open she immediately grabbed her pistol aiming it at the intruders

A Turian, a Human, and a Salarian stood there

She'd seen them on the Surveillance she'd recognized the Turian, Saren Arterius

Saren aimed his Pistol at her giving her a look, she knew that in a gunfight she had no chance, but she had to try, so she kept the gun up

"You…I know you!" she yelled as her hands shook with fear

"Put that damn gun down Rana before you hurt yourself" Saren said, taunting her

Jack scowled "you know this pussy?" she said before she fired a shot into the ground at Rana's feet making her jump back and lose her aim for a moment

Jack just smiled at her fear

"Of all the people Shepard leaves alive, why you?" Saren asks

"I don't know" Rana Said "but I'm doing good work here"

"You're doing my work Rana; you really want to fall back into that"

"You really believe that all Okeer wants is an army? No his goals are much better than that"

"Oh really? He appears to be tank-Breeding the Krogan just like I was, all he's missing is the Genophage cure, which would increase his output exponentially, what's he after Rana?"

"I won't tell you" she came to her senses and dropped the gun tears coming to her eyes from the Terror "are you gonna kill me"

Saren groaned but lowered his weapon "just GO!" he said loudly "but If I see your face again your dead, understand!"

"Yes! I won't be in your way anymore!" she ran out as fast as she could

"Your letting her go?" asked Jack "what the hell?"

"She wasn't evil" Saren said "just stupid enough to think anything in this facility is a good idea"


	9. Chapter 8

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 8

_Of all the people I expected to see, Rana was the least of them_

_A cowardly Asari scientist who was conscripted into working for me on Virmire, she knew about things like tank breeding, she helped in the creation of the Genophage cure, I expected she was killed in the explosion Shepard caused_

_But as it turns out, he spared her, something I would have never done_

_### _

Saren and the others stepped into the lab, and saw the Krogan working at a console, paying them no heed

Saren crossed his arms and stood beside him, glaring

The Krogan looked him in the eye, momentarily taking him away from his work "it's about time… the batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs"

Saren approached the Krogan "so you are Warlord Okeer, you don't seem like a prisoner, even so, I'm helping you"

"you may claim to be here to help, but Saren, the Galaxy's most wanted criminal is not a sign of gentle change" the Krogan saw the subtle change in Saren's face "surprised… all Krogan should know you, I'm sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire"

"I have my regrets, but that's behind me now"

"good, your pale hoard were not true Krogan, numbers alone are nothing, the mistake of an outsider, one that these Mercenaries have also made" the Krogan walked up to the window across from where he was standing "I gave their leader my rejects for her army, but she grows impatient, it's time for you to take me out of here"

"I'm here about the Collectors, I need help fighting them" Saren told him

"I see…yes, collector attacks have increased, your concern, my requests were focused else where" he approached the large Tank beside him

Inside was a young Krogan, orange skin, plates like stone, and white armor, it had its eyes wide open, but it didn't move

"I acquired the knowledge to create one pure soldier, with that; I will inflict upon the Genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer, to be ignored"

"I don't care about your goals" Saren said angrily "will you help us?"

"Perhaps we can strike a deal to secure passage, but my Prototype is not negotiable, it is the key to my legacy"

"Attention" said a voice over the intercom "I've traced the Krogan release, Okeer of course…I'm calling blank slate on this project, gas him and start over from his data, flush the Tanks"

Just then a pipe near the ceiling started spewing gas

"She is that weak willed!" Okeer said loudly "she'll kill my legacy with a damn valve!" he turned to Saren "you want information on the collectors, stop her, she'll try to access contaminants in the Storage area"

Saren approached the console "she won't get far" as soon as he touched the console the holograms around it turned green as his influence spread

Soon the valves shut off and Jedore was locked out

"How!" Okeer asked "impossible"

"No" Saren said "now to deal with Jedore"

As he searched the system he found his saving grace, a remote control system for the heavy mech down near Jedore, he seized it, and soon he saw through its eyes

It came to life and Jedore saw this "what the-"she began before the machine guns started shooting her

She dove behind cover and flared her Omni-tool opening the Krogan tanks one at a time

The Krogan had weapons in their tanks, most likely because of Okeer and they all pointed them at the Mech firing

The Mech fired a missile into one of their chests blowing him away

The Machine gun peppered another and as the third ran up the Mech struck him with one of his arms sending him flying over the edge of a railing

Finally Jedore emerged from cover firing her rocket launcher that momentarily obscured the mech's vision with fire

The mech simply walked closer to her firing both arms keeping her in the cover she dove for

A bullet went through her foot and she was crippled there

Soon the Mech was above her, it aimed its machine gun, firing it tore her apart making her a mess of blood and gore

Saren came away from the controls and the Mech once again folded up

"Nice trick" Jack added from off to the side

Saren turned to Okeer who was already gathering his things, readying to leave

"She never reached my Prototype, very well Saren I will help you, but we must bring my Prototype with us"

Saren spoke to Morin "call the shuttle pilot" he said to him "tell them we have a package…and he's a big one"

Okeer was leaning on the glass of the tank looking in, like a proud father observing his son "this one soldier, this…Grunt, my legacy …perfect"

###

Saren was standing in the room Okeer had rented at Omega; he surveyed the Tank he had propped up against the wall

"I have to open it, see him moving around, everything else had been within the Tank

Saren stepped forward watching as Okeer hit several buttons on his Omni-Tool

The liquid within the Tank began to drain into a reservoir found on the back of the Tank

The glass door opened and the Krogan fell out covered in liquid and coughing it up

He seemed to growl as it stood, short for a Krogan but it looked strong, it looked at everything around it as if its next meal

He roared loudly, a sound that shook the room and he charged hitting Okeer head on making him Collide with the wall

Saren sprang to action whipping his pistol out and aiming it at the Krogan, but not firing

"Krogan, Male….Okeer…father, before you die…I need a name" it said this with a monotone, unfeeling, and remorseless

"You know my name, I created you!" Okeer said as he tugged at the Krogan's arms as he held him there "you cannot kill me!"

"Not your name, mine, I am trained, I know things, but the Tank…you could not implant connection, your words are hollow" the Krogan looked away as he contemplated "Warlord, Legacy, Grunt…Grunt was among the last, it has no meaning, it'll do"

"I suggest you back off him!" Saren screamed and the new Krogan dubbed Grunt "or I shoot!"

Grunt fastened one of his hands around Okeer's throat and pushed him into the wall, choking him while he looked to Saren

Okeer thrashed and scarped at Grunt's arm, but the Old Krogan could do nothing, his creation was the stronger

"You…who are you?"

"I'm Saren, and I need Okeer, I don't take threats lightly"

"Okeer pretends to hold power over that which he creates…but you, you speak as if you've earn it….if you are worthy of your power, prove yourself and try to stop me"

Grunt Glared at Saren as Okeer struggled even more

Saren fired his pistol several times into Grunt's chest making him move slightly, until Grunt charged and knocked the gun from his hands

Grunt hit Saren in the chest sending him into the wall

As he was lying on the ground Saren raised an arm and sent Grunt flying into the window, the glass was thick, it only cracked as the Krogan collided with it

Saren stood and kept his hand out firing a warp into Grunt making him groan in pain

"You will stand down!"

Grunt stayed still but a look of rage was on his face

Before it turned to something else

And he seemed to smile

"You fight and do not hesitate; you are a master worth fighting for"

"No!" Okeer yelled from off to the side "he is mine! If you take him, you will find no help from me"

Grunt stood and looked to Saren

Saren eyed up Grunt, seeing him, seeing how he fought

"I don't know Okeer; I'm starting to think that your little pet is of more use to me"

"Don't do this Saren, you will regret it"

"Get out of here Okeer, and pray you don't see us again"

Okeer walked out of the room in a huff, and Grunt approached Saren

"Know that if you turn out weak, and choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you"

"My enemies will always be strong"

"If I find a clan…if I find what I…want, I will be honored to eventually pit the against you"

###

Two thugs held the Turian still, holding one arm each as a man across from them struck him across his jaw drawing his blue blood, making it spatter on the wall

"How many times have a told you Monty" the man said to the Turian "nobody messes with the Blue Sons and gets away with it, this was the final straw"

"If you're going to kill me get it over with" the Turian retorted "I'd rather not listen to your drivel"

The man beating on the Turian grabbed him by the neck, hard enough for him to hurt, but he could still breathe, and he pressed a gun onto his forehead

"The boss said to leave you alive, the boss said that we need you, you have your contacts with the smugglers, but I don't care anymore! You've been a thorn in my side for too long Monty!

Just then a warp flew through the air and collided with the thug holding the Turian's left arm still

Suddenly the Turian grabbed the Pistol held to his head and aimed it to the sky, it fired shells away from him

Then she brought his hand down onto the hand that held his other arm still freeing another

He took the pistol and swiftly disarmed his captor putting the gun to his head, and pulling the trigger

His savior finished off the last thug left and the Turian approached him

Saren had just saved the Turian's life

He looked young, with brown skin and white face-paint

"thank the spirits you came along when you did" he said in a high excited voice "I don't know what I would have done otherwise" the Turian nodded to Saren "the name's Monteague, but my friends all call me Monty, and I can't thank you enough for saving my ass…who would you be?"

"Call me Soll" Saren said, telling his fake name "I heard them say you were a smuggler"

"yes…well, not so much, I came here to Omega to see if I could do some good, help people, but I had nobody to turn to so I was pretty much forced to become a hired gun for the smugglers here, and the rest, as humans say, is history"

"Hired gun huh?" Saren said suddenly intrigued "what do you say to a job where you really do help people"

Monteague would have smiled had he been able to "sounds great!"

NOTE: hi there!

sorry if this isnt the best chapter i was kind of scrambling to get it done and i finished at 3 in the morning

also i will be going away for vacation so it will be at least another week before i even begin the next chapter

one other thing, Monteague is an actual canon character, his race, gender, and military specialization were never specified, but his name was mentioned as being one of the people in Garrus' squad before Mass Effect 2 began, but of course in this timeline, he never joined with Garrus and is thus still alive


	10. Chapter 9

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 9

_When people look at me, they see a monster_

_When Cerberus looks at me they see a weapon_

_When I see myself, I see an abomination. I claim to be Turian, I have pretenses of superiority. But I'm not even Turian anymore, I'm hardly even organic, I'm becoming a lifeless machine_

_This almost happened to my entire race…I fought against it…but I volunteered for it this time_

The shuttle touched down on Palaven's surface right outside of a large cave complex, filled with humans in lab suits and makeshift shelters from the planet's natural radiation

It was also raining

As the doors of the shuttle opened a man in a black raincoat walked up and greeted the visitors

One was Saren the tall Turian wore his long dark coat, the other was Miranda in her normal white and black jumpsuit

"c'mon" the man in the coat said "it's inside"

Saren observed his surroundings, he was born here, and he never thought he'd return just to see a Cerberus complex

His sightseeing made him fall behind so he jogged to catch back up with Miranda

"When did you find it?" Saren asked

"You kidding? It found us, don't know how it survived down here but we found it in a closed off section of the cave, it was badly damaged but it was strong enough to attack and kill one of the researchers"

"Why call us?" Miranda said

"we've been taking readings from Saren's Omni tool, we took samples from the specimen, there is a 96 percent similarity between its tissue and Saren's altered DNA, the Illusive Man said to call you"

The three entered the complex which was flooded with personnel and equipment with electronic lights strewn about the walls

Soon they entered a room with a large window connected to it

Behind the window was a giant isolated section of the cave, the room itself preventing anything from leaving it?

The walls were etched with a strange language of circles, squares and dots, incomprehensible to most

But Saren understood

In the back of the room was a large mound

A creature of immense size and width twice Saren's size at least

It faced away from the window and a long cloak it wore obscured any features

They could hear the scratching as it etched more symbols into the walls

"Let me in to see it" Saren ordered as he walked toward the door they had into the cell

"That's not a good idea" said the scientist that led them in there "it's been extremely violent toward us so far"

Saren paid him no heed and when he pushed on the electronically locked door it opened easily as the lock sparked

As he walked into the cave with his hands in his pockets he heard the door lock behind him

He looked at the walls

As he approached one he held a hand to it

The creature kept with his work, not even noticing him there

Ω∑꜠ﬀπ∩X

Symbols and shapes, a language not of any organic race

"Inevitable…they're coming" Saren translated "they will free me, make me whole…a-"

"_And they will reveal their brilliance; ascend my people to their glorious level__"_

Saren look to his right to see the creature staring at him he spoke in a language foreign to his captors, but Saren was taught…20 years before, he never forgot

The creature's face was hidden behind a hood, but its glowing yellow eyes beaded down on him

"_The Reaver returns…to free me, to free all of us__"_

"_I'm not freeing any of you, you're an abomination__"_

"_Don't you understand…the masters are coming, to takes us all away, to free us?__"_

"_You mean enslave us__"_

"_no…i know you've seen…these beings are wallowing in their own filth, their primitive minds even refuse to comprehend the masters' presence…they shut their eyes and hope we will go away but we know better, you and I have already left them behind, you and I have seen the masters' glory__" _the creature reached out for Saren but Saren swatted _the_ hand away

"Don't touch me!" he said in his own language by accident "I've heard enough" he went to leave

"_You cannot defy the masters, all that is left is to lie back and accept the immortality they offer__"_

"They're machines, dead metal and circuitry, that isn't life"

He stormed into the observation room as the creature started after him

But as it got closer to the door a collar around its neck ignited, sending thousands upon thousands of volts through his body making his glowing eyes douse and his body go limp and fall to the ground

Saren was back in the observation room

"It won't get you anything useful" Saren said to the lead scientist "kill it"

"We haven't even got near the thing without it being sedated"

"It's a minion of the reapers; it could be communicating with them you have to destroy it"

"You're not in charge here Turian!" the scientist was yelling his voice laced with petulance and immature confidence

Saren whipped his arm out and gripped the human's throat lifting him to the air without any effort, and choking him

"Don't talk down to me!" Saren growled at the scientist

"Saren stop!" Miranda yelled at him "put. Him. Down!"

Saren glared at her for a moment before violently throwing the scientist to the floor, enough to make it hurt, but not enough to cause real damage

"You'll all regret this!" Saren said as he stormed out of the complex closely followed by Miranda

"What was that?" she asked frantically as she followed him

"Don't pretend like you care, all I am to you or Cerberus is a tool to be used"

"Remember who is watching your back, the only reason you're not dead right now"

"Don't guilt me, I didn't ask to be saved"

"Would you prefer the council's team find you?" Miranda stopped and crossed her arms and Saren stopped in his tracks

"…sometimes" he looked her in the eye "I do"

He looked into space as she walked past

A thought darted past his mind "wait!"

His brain was filled with a shrill whining that set his teeth on edge and made him clutch his head, but he stood up straight

REA…ER…DEF…INSOLAN…PUNISH

Then one clear thought

YOU HAVE BEEN REPLACED

A pulse shot through his mind and the signals stopped, but Saren knew what it meant

"they're here!' he yelled to Miranda who was ahead of him "the Collectors are here!"

Miranda neared the docking bay only to watch the entire section of the complex explode seeing shrapnel flying in all directions, the shock wave send Miranda flying back making her land on her back on the stone floor

Saren sprinted to her

"You OK?"

She groaned and got up, Saren pulling at her arm, helping her

As she got up she retrieved her Pistol from a holster and the both of them ran for a crate as the laser weapons of the Collectors fired missing them but decimating the scientist in the way

The Cerberus guards opened fire as Saren and Miranda ducked behind the crate

Chaos erupted as Collectors entered the building and fired lasers into crowds of people as they tried to flee

"How did they know we were here!" Miranda screamed

"I told you it's that damn creature! It got the signals in its brain just like I did; it told them where to find us"

Suddenly Saren turned and was aware of a swarm of bugs flying into the complex

"Run!" Saren yelled watching as Miranda complied

Saren got up and backed away as the bugs approached

He threw a shockwave killed bugs in a long line but it did nothing to slow them down

He started running himself not knowing what the seekers did to non-humans

Very suddenly a force smacked into him sending him off his feet and flying away

As his body stopped and his vision cleared he saw a figure walking toward him his hands flaring with red energy

Saren got up and faced his attacker a man the size of a Turian and sharing their figure wearing a pair of armor with skin to mimic a collectors'

Saren threw a warp but the man he face threw up a biotic shield stopping the blow

Saren tried throwing him biotically but he didn't move an inch

He threw a red biotic power at Saren as it connected electricity coursed through his body stopping him in his tracks allowing his attacker time to grab Saren's neck and lift him pressing him against a nearby wall

The Seekers surrounded them both but never came near

Saren kicked and wheezed as he tried to break free but he was unable to

Finally he got hold of his pistol and fired several shot into the beast's abdomen finally making him stop choking Saren, and drop him

Saren got up and fired several shots into his attacker but still he came closer

When he ran out of thermal rounds he ran at the beast and tackled him his body charged with biotic energy

He punched at him and scrapped as much as he could but Saren was weaker

In one last effort he grabbed at the head and pulled, hoping to get the helmet off

After a struggle the wires ripped and it came off

His attacker paused but then sent a wave knocking him several feet back, Saren didn't even get a good look

Saren quickly got back up and saw the face

His eyes widened as he back away

Turian, a white face, dark blue spines and a thin strip of blue face paint stretched across the middle of his face

Glowing red, metallic, soulless eyes

But he knew the face

Before it sank in the Turian sent a beam of red energy from its hand that blew through half of his chest leaving a charred, gaping hole

The light in Saren's eyes died out

His heart stopped, so did his breathing, he was dead

Killed by family, his brother, A ghost

Desolas Arterius

Desolas walked from the scene, arrogant, assuming victory

But he wasn't the only one who could cheat death

NOTE: hello there!

so this was a pretty short chapter ending on a cliff-hanger

i wont spoil it but i cant guarantee it wont take a while to put up like the other chapters

school started back up again and im starting a new job so i might not have time but i will certainly try to get the next one out quicker


	11. Chapter 10

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 10

_Death is a strange sensation, like a dream you slip away into a world you could never comprehend while awake and completely sober. You don't think, you don't feel, you don't see or hear, no body, and no mind._

_But it isn't nothing, I can't quite explain it_

_You simply…are_

_Destroy a machine and it's gone forever, it can be rebuilt, but it's never the same. But destroy a life form, and no matter how hard you try to stamp it out, it will come back, in one form or another._

_The Reapers tried to kill me, but all they did was make me realize the truth._

_That no matter how hard the Reapers tried to turn me into one_

_I am NOT a machine._

The high pitched whine of some Medical Machine filled the air as it primed to start up. With a thumping noise the machine came to life pumping thousands of volts into the lifeless body. It jerked upwards but its eyes remained shut and its pulse zero.

"We'll try it one more time" said a female voice "then go back to restoration"

The machine came to life again and tried the shock a second time, this time a machine beside the body began to beep slowly and regularly with the line on the display spiking, showing a pulse. The body remained unconscious but a slow, steady, breathing was heard.

Saren was alive.

His sleep was plagued with nightmares on that hospital bed. He dreamt of seeing his brother's face behind that mask, how he looked him in the eye, and took his life. Then he dreamed of the day he took Desolas' the day he aided in the foiling of Desolas' plans, how he left him inside the Temple he'd rigged to explode. It all ended with the thought of how he could be alive, why? How had the reapers pieced him back together?

His eyes shot open to the sound of a quickly beeping heart monitor

He was in an empty white room with a single sliding door and no windows. The tables that dotted the area were covered in medical equipment, syringes, datapads, and other assorted objects. On the tabled that appeared to be a nightstand there was a plate of food, he refrained from eating, he didn't know where he was; let alone what they were giving him.

He was wearing a Turian-made patient gown and on the wall he could see his long hooded coat and his other equipment.

He tore the IV out of his arm and went to his equipment. As soon as he did an alarm resounded in the small room, and Saren could almost sense the guards coming for him, he didn't care. He put his clothes on and found his pistol missing. The door opened and three guards came in.

Once he saw their white and yellow uniforms, he guessed where he was, and raised his arms in surrender. They lowered their guns, almost disappointed he hadn't resisted.

The familiar form of Miranda Lawson walked in, hands on her hips, wearing a face of indifference,

"Saren" she said "welcome back to the land of the living"

"What happened?" he asked as he continued to look for where they put his pistol

"You were clinically dead for about a week…we brought you back"

"Desolas"

Miranda raised an eyebrow, confused. "Your late brother, what about him?"

"He's back" Saren turned to Miranda "he's the one that killed me"

Miranda looked concerned about this, but not surprised"

"You already knew?" Saren surmised

"no…but it's not surprising…project Lazarus is a program we created in order to bring people who were killed, even ones with horrible injuries, back to life. It's the project that saved your life, your living proof it's possible"

"Desolas was in an explosion, it's likely his body could have been vaporized"

"It obviously wasn't, badly burned maybe, but not obliterated, and we don't know what kind of Technology the Reapers have"

Saren walked past Miranda out into the hall

"Get me back to Omega, I'm ready"

"We still have a lot of tests to run!" Miranda trotted after Saren until she was right next to him "you were Project Lazarus' first successful subject, we need to know how well the process works"

"First successful subject?"

Miranda hesitated "the project was originally designed to bring back Commander Shepard"

Saren stopped in the middle of the white hallway, he looked at Miranda "and you failed?"

"We never got the body, we worked with Liara T'soni for a time to acquired it but the Shadow Broker got a hold of it before we could…its likely he's sold it to the collectors"

"And here I was thinking you people were actually capable" Saren began walking away again "I guess I was wrong"

Miranda heard a beeping from the Omni-tool on her wrist

"What?" Saren asked

"We have to get to the shuttles!" she said "another colony just went silent!"

"Where?"

"Horizon, in the Terminus systems"

###

It was the middle of the day on the bright, sunny colony of Horizon. Its citizens were walking to and fro; busily working trying to get their systems back online after an unknown attack on them shut them down.

Among them was a soldier, he seemed like the only one there. He was a very large man, it was obvious from one look he was a soldier even forgetting he was wearing large, heavy armor. He had buzz cut black hair and a grizzled face; above all else, he was angry about his being stationed there.

The small nameplate grafted onto his armor said the word "JAMES VEGA" in large Black letters.

He singled out a single woman in the crowd "Lilith" he called her "we've got a problem"

"Still can't calibrate the targeting matrix?" she said in a slightly condescending tone

"Those defense towers are useless if we don't figure it out" Vega said stressed out from the events of the day.

"Sorry, Lieutenant, getting our comm. systems back online takes priority"

Vega stopped and Lilith turned to look at him

"Yeah" he started "right, I'm surprised people didn't blame that one on me too"

"People out here don't trust the Alliance, it's nothing personal"

A deep rumbling sound was heard and Lilith and Vega both turned to the sky

"What is that!" Lilith exclaimed

James turned a curious eye to the air where he saw a large dark cloud and a hulking form coming out of the fog. The form was obviously a large ship, but the cloud was vague from this distance. He took out his assault rifle from his back using the scope to look at the cloud more closely. Upon this further inspection he found it to not be a cloud, but a swarm of small insect like creatures.

He turned to Lilith "get everyone to the safe house!"

###

The Shuttle flew through the air above Horizon Saren stared out the window viewing the Monolithic Collector ship over the colony, a mixture of metal and a substance that resembled stone.

The Shuttle stopped and shut down; Saren looked to those inside, 7 in total

As the doors opened everyone hopped out onto the grass.

Saren turned to his team, taking the lead

"okay!" he began with "Miranda you take Jacob, Monteague, and Zaeed back around to the other end of the colony" he hit a button and a display popped up, a map of the colony, he pointed to a part, more or less in its center, a thin broadcasting tower "meet here, me Mordin Jack and Grunt will make our way there" he turned to Mordin "you sure this counter measure of yours will work"

"In limited numbers. Should confuse detection. Make us invisible to seeker swarms. In theory"

"In theory?" Saren replied skeptically

"Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Will have to test in person…should be exciting"

"Good enough" he started to walk away cocking his assault rifle "move out!"

The team separated into their teams and went on their way. Saren's team began jogging down a nearby path, while Miranda's went back in the shuttle to loop around to the other end of the colony.

As they reached an area filled with barriers no doubt put up by the colonists in order to help aid against an attack if there was one, Saren spotted several Collectors flying through the air on their insect like wings before landing on the ground and firing at them.

Saren slid into cover blind-firing his assault rifle at the collectors from behind.

"Mordin!" he called out "stay with me, help me keep their attention. Jack head left, Grunt head right, try to flank them" they both nodded and with that Saren popped out of cover and fired a burst from his assault rifle, taking a few hits to his shield, but throwing a warp he was able to take down the shields of a Collector holding a large laser weapon firing it at his cover position.

Jack crouched below cover and kept her gun down, somersaulting between exposed positions as she neared the side of the Collector group. As she felt content that she was in the proper position she charged her body with energy and as she stood, fully erect, she let it go in a large shockwave that was thrown into the Collector ranks, throwing several of them in several directions.

One, unaffected by this turned to see her. She sprinted at it, when there was only a table between her and the Collector she vaulted it, sliding across the 3 foot gap firing her shotgun as she did, bursting its head and making her land on its corpse.

The ones knocked about by Jack's shockwave were getting up and beginning to ready their weapons, interrupted by a blood curdling roared before Grunt came barreling into the group, knocking one back down before he struck another with the butt of his rifle.

A warp flew past Grunts shoulder and hit another Collector, thrown by Saren, who was now running toward Jack and Grunt.

Jack and Grunt turned to the remaining Collectors and fired on them taking out the two in front of them. Behind them one was getting up, and readying his gun but was hit with a Cryo blast shot by Mordin. The Collector froze in place as the light blue ice incased him in his tomb.

The group reconvened and reloaded, starting to walk further into the colony.

Jack turned to look at the frozen collector before walking up to it and kicking it, hard enough to knocking it over, but not hard enough to shatter it. As she did it fell and collided with the ground shattering into several large chunks. She turned back and walked with the rest of her team.

NOTE: yes i know it's been a while since my last chapter, but i've been busy with other things. i also worked a bit on my writing style, as well as my grammer, and i think it's an improvement.

another thing is that i've been looking for a beta Reader, i tried sending one a message but they never responded. if anyone can tell me how to get one, or if anyone wants to be my Beta Reader, say so in the reviews for this chapter.

i've been working on a COMPLETELY unrelated fanfic for a while and plan on continuing with that for a while longer, so this may be the last Chapter for a while.


	12. Chapter 11

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 11

_You can pay a soldier to shoot a gun, train them, and make them a killing machine, like myself._

_But training doesn't count for shit, pit two soldiers against each other and the one who wins will, 9 times out of 10, be the one inspired to fight, the one with a reason worth dying for_

_I met only a few soldiers like that _

_And one of them let a grenade go off in his hand before he let me succeed_

_A good enough soldier, with a good enough reason, can stop a squad of ten without one_

_Even if, in the end, they can end up doing more harm than good_

James ran, weaving in and out of alleys and through houses, desperate to stave off the swarm of murderous bugs diving for him, again and again. He wasn't sure how they hadn't gotten him yet, but when he finally figured it out, all it brought him was anguish.

They only left him alone, because he could run faster than the other colonists, because he was a soldier, and they weren't. He was leaving them behind, but every time he thought about stopping and defending them,all he had to do was remember the mission, find who is behind the attacks on the colony. Getting stung and abducted wouldn't change the fact that the collectors will keep abducting colonists, but finishing his mission might.

James found a garage open and a colonist was shutting the door. His name was Delan, James remembered him, he was a mechanic, and he was shutting James out.

James groaned and sprinted faster for the door. Closing the gap in seconds and holding the door open with a firm hand. The doors had safety measures, when something got in the way of its closing, it stopped.

The gap wasn't big enough for James' shoulders so he turned and began shooting at incoming seekers with his foot inside the door, keeping I open.

"Get your fucking foot out of the door!" Delan yelled

"Then open up!" James yelled at him as he continued to fire

"No can do, those…bugs will get in if I do"

"They definitely will if I keep this door open!" James said as the seekers got closer

Delan was silent for a moment

"I haven't got all day!"

The door slid open and James quickly came inside before a seeker latched onto his ankle just as the door finished closing.

He kicked his arm around, not fast enough to jerk it free, but fast enough to keep it from stinging. Finally he stopped and raised his opposite foot to crush the bug, as he felt a prick on his ankle his foot came down and killed the bug, crushing it into several pieces.

He leg felt very stiff, and seemed to be discolored, looking greenish and sickly, it went numb, and somewhat limp, but the seeker didn't eject all of its venom, and he could still limp places.

"What was that?" James demanded "you were about to leave me to die!'

"Look, no offense, but I wasn't too keen on risking my life for some Alliance soldier"

James ejected his thermal clip "I'm the one with the gun, do you really think the Collectors wouldn't find you here eventually?"

Delan was silent "I've got to get those defense towers online, their the Colony's only chance"

"You're going back out there?" Delan said "they'll kill you!"

"Maybe, but there's no doubt they will if they find us here"

James hit the button opening the opposite door before limping out "wish me luck" Delan said nothing, but shut the door on him.

James got into a rhythm, limping as fast as he could manage with his head down. He assumed the seekers had detection other than visual, as they had no eyes and yet could detect any human, even when hiding. He dodged heat detection by sticking close to the paralyzed colonists, hiding near them when swarms passed so that they could not distinguish between them and James. He moved steadily, and methodically to avoid movement and sound detection. And he made sure to check every corner, every building, just in case the collectors brought extra fire power.

He found the drones, large bipedal creatures with four eyes and carrying laser weapons. He didn't try to fight any of them; he was able to sneak past by crawling behind some crates, difficult, when he had to drag one of his legs behind him.

Finally he found the door to the defense tower area, an outdoor courtyard that would be an incredibly exposed position, easy for an ambush, but he had to try.

He waited till the drones appeared to move on, walking away with their twisted human cargo floating behind them.

James had his chance. He stood up and dipped his head as he limped toward the door. Stealth had worked so far, but it wasn't James' strong suit.

A laser beam shot past James' head leaving a burning streak across his temple. He screamed out as he whipped around seeing a Collector drone walking towards him brandishing a beam rifle. He fired it and James held up his assault rifle firing a burst into it, halting its fire enough for James to duck behind cover.

A sickening screech was heard as the seekers began to converge overhead.

"No!" James exclaimed "I was so close!"

He allowed himself a single second more to collect himself. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

I_ have to finish the mission _he thought as he stood as quickly as he could manage firing a continuous stream of assault rifle fire as he backed toward the door. He didn't need to hit anything, only prevent the drone from firing, and force it into cover. He switched his assault rifle to a single arm, further restricting his accuracy; the drone was coming out of cover just as James hit the button to open the door, and went for the ammo pocket on his belt, removing a grenade just as the seekers reached a point 20 feet away.

He pulled the pin, dropped the grenade, turned around and jumped off into the grassy area to the right of the door, crawling to the crate a few feet away before the inferno grenade went off and engulfed the seekers in flame.

Immediately a thousand other seekers in the sky above screeched and came soaring down spiraling around the flame.

"Okay" James said as he watched "they are heat sensitive then"

He started to crawl toward the defense tower before he heard gunshots, and scrambled back behind cover. They weren't Collector weapons, they were human, or at least friendlier than Collectors, but he wasn't about to trust anyone.

He leaned out of cover and looked through the scope of his assault rifle as 4 people walked up to the defense tower.

3 humans, one Turian, the human who seemed to be leading was a woman with long black hair and a black and white jumpsuit.

The two male humans were well built, they looked like soldiers. One Caucasian, and older looking, mid fifties maybe, the other black, couldn't have been more than late twenties.

The Turian was out of place, trailing behind with a sniper rifle, he approached as he reloaded and spoke.

"So let me get this straight" he said "us and our merry band of misfits are trying to save the galaxy from these…things, before they reap the humans from every human colony and eventually other species as well"

"That's right" the woman said approaching the console for the defense tower

"thought so, what I don't get is…why is galactic enemy number one, Saren Arterius, helping you, anyone associated with him is marked for death, as in any Council agent is legally allowed to shoot us on sight, Spectre or not"

"He's proved useful"

"It ain't about use Mira…it's about being smart"

"You're free to leave when you desire, but if you rat us out, we will kill you"

"Don't get me wrong, the cause is worth it, but if Saren Arterius is with us…let's just say when push comes to shove, I work for YOU, not him"

James was shocked as he spied on the conversation, after that information, he wasn't surprised to discover the Cerberus logos on the uniforms of two of them.

That kill-order was correct, if he took them out right now, he'd be given a damn medal.

He sighted onto the target, reloaded, and prepared to pull the trigger on the woman, their leader. Her shields were still up, but in a few bursts those would be down, and with her lack of armor it would only take another burst to take her out. The element of surprise was on his side, when she went down he'd toss another grenade, scatter them. They wouldn't realize his position, he had that advantage.

James was a soldier, sacrifice was a way of life for him, even if he only took out the woman, it was worth it. Even if he died that day, he'd know that he took down a Cerberus leader in the process.

If anything, it was penance, for leaving Lilith and the others behind, for all his mistakes…for Fehl Prime.

He put his finger on the trigger, and was about to pull it.

But then, cold metal was felt on the back of his neck.

He knew someone was kneeling beside him, with a gun pressed against him.

He flipped over to see a tall Turian on one knee with a pistol aimed directly at him. His was a face James knew only too well, he saw the vids, the briefing, it was galactic enemy number one, Saren Arterius.

James looked into his eyes as Saren said nothing. James took whatever fate he had silently, as he shut his eyes, and prepared for a gunshot.

**hi there**

**it's me, I Max95, returning after months of hiatus**

**actually it was less like a hiatus and more like...me getting bored, and trying to do other things ("trying" being the key word)**

**again i feel like this chapter is alot better than previous chapters though i admit i'm still not the best at doing action scenes, and there may be the odd grammer flaw. (i honestly need a beta reader, i have stories that i reread 5 or six times and i still haven't found all the errors) **

**yeah James the big burly monkey-man was able to sneak past the Collectors with a stiff leg, it wasn't my best idea but it was better than having him freeze yet magically become unfrozen in order to confront Saren, i never understood how Kaiden/Ashley did that to confront Shepard.**

**i don't imagine myself doing this much more but, i would like to personally thank TheGlassAngel, he/she didn't do much, only left a single eloquent, single-word review, but he/she did remind me that even now, in 2012, at least one person still gives a shit about this story**

**i'm trying to become more detailed, making better chapters that are well written. so yes it will probably take me a little while for my next chapter, but rest assured, the story is far from dead**


	13. Chapter 12

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 12

_Mercy is a curious thing, it's a thing that almost everyone admires, something most decent people would consider the best policy_

_Until they reach a point where mercy brings more harm than good, in their own lives_

_Faced with life or death implications, there are men who'd murder their own children to save their own skin. It takes real courage to spare someone who could very well stab you in the back later on_

_So here I am, one man, snooping around near my team, he might have heard something important, but maybe he' s some idealist who thought he could take out a Cerberus leader and get a medal for it_

_If so, I have no reason to kill him at the moment, I never kill anyone without reason_

_But then again, you can always find a reason to kill someone_

"Get up" Saren angrily demanded of the large burly soldier he threatened. The man groaned but gripped the crate he laid beside and propped himself up, his leg seemed paralyzed, just like with the colonists.

"You gonna kill me?" he asked

"I haven't decided"

"You might as well" he said bitterly "what good would it do you, to keep me alive, it's not like you care"

Saren did a slight double take, he knew what this man was saying, and he knew how true it was. He was a killer; he almost committed genocide against the galaxy. But still, seeing this one soldier point it out, how ruthless he could truly be. It made him think, if he gunned this man down, did he truly deserve redemption?

"Who are you?" he asked, postponing the issue

"A concerned citizen" he said coolly and sarcastically "with a gun"

"Don't toy with me" Saren said pressing his gun harder into the back of his head

"I'm no one" he finally replied "just a soldier, doing his duty" he turned and looked Saren in the eye "shouldn't be a problem for you, after what you did to Shepard"

Saren groaned and aimed his pistol even closer into his forehead; this stalemate lasted a few seconds. He knew what sparing him would mean, he knew the consequences.

"You're right" Saren said "it shouldn't be a problem" then he brought the handle of the gun slamming against his temple, knocking him unconscious. He went down without a single whimper.

"Hey!" Miranda yelled as she jogged up "what was that?" she asked

"Nothing"

Grunt, Jack, and Mordin walked up behind him. Grunt groaned as he brandished his shotgun "you should have just killed him" he said "that would be more fun"

"I know" Saren said as he walked to the defense tower controls "have you got them working yet?" he asked Miranda as she tapped away at the console.

"No" she replied "it's got some kind of firewall the Collectors put up, I was hoping you could break through"

"Step aside" he said as he tore the metal panel off the machine and stuck his hand inside. As he gripped the wire his brain went black. He shut his eyes as his brain became binary, numbers and codes security programs firewalls, he _was_ the circuitry, the wires his nerves. But there was something foreign contaminating this extension of his body, a bit of code endlessly foreign yet sickeningly familiar. And as he spread himself through the system, so too did this code spread back into him. He began to shake uncontrollably and groan in pain as his head felt like it was about to split open. He gagged as his eyes rolled back into his skull.

"Saren?" Miranda asked, her disdain for him causing her to be intrigued rather than concerned. He continued to shake "that's it" she said "I'm pulling you out"

"NO!" he yelled "give me a minute" he was in immense pain, but continued, and then finally he regained control and pushed the infection code back into the defense system, powering it up. But then the infection flashed back into his mind and he screamed. The infection made him suffer, as if it wanted him too. The panel sparked and sent Saren stumbling back, disconnected from it. But he could still feel it, crawling through, tripping every nerve ending, making him flare up in pain.

And then he passed out, but he had gotten the defenses online.

Miranda and Jacob were both there to catch him and lay him on the ground.

"What the hell" Jacob said

"Saren?" Miranda demanded as he shook him

"We've got company!" jack yelled with a murderous smile at the incoming Collectors. She raised a pistol and fired the first shot before they began flying everywhere.

Miranda and Jacob pulled Saren's unconscious body to the panel and laid him against it. Monteague looked around, the Turian was hardly an angel, but he had a conscience. He found the soldier who tried to kill Miranda and pulled him out of the firefight erupting around him, into a nice corner where he at least thought he'd be safe. Before turning back and shooting.

As Monteague aimed his rifle Zaeed appeared beside him staying near the back of the firefight taking potshots at collector Drones and the occasional husk, providing cover fire for the others.

Grunt and Jack were both in the thick of it, hiding behind the same chest high crate for cover taking out droves of Collectors before they even got close to the others. But the husks ran, getting past Jack and Grunt onto Mordin and the pair of Cerberus agents. all three stood, exposed, protecting Saren's unconscious body.

When the Collector forces appeared to slow down Grunt roared and charged forward slamming into a drone, forcing him into a wall. Suddenly as that drone squirmed its eyes flashed with yellow light and a deep voice boomed

"ASSUMING CONTROL!" then as the drone flared with cracks of yellow light it forced Grunt off of it and in a bout of strength unseen from any other drone, threw him several feet making him crash into a crate.

Grunt groaned and roared louder than ever before, getting up and grabbing a nearby metal pole in both hands. He lifted the pole and slammed it into the powered up drone several times. The drone caught it the third time and tore it away, grabbing Grunt's bulbous neck with two hands and charging him with yellowish biotic energy.

"THIS HURTS YOU!" it bellowed

Grunt screamed in rage, not pain, the blood rage blocked out the pain. Nevertheless burns showed on his skin and blood oozed off.

Grunt finally clutched one of the drone's arms and tore it off at the shoulder. There was no blood, only a small drip of an oily substance, like lubricant from a machine. Grunt punched the drone and forced it to the ground putting both hands on its face pressing down as hard as he could.

"THIS CHANGES NOTHING" it bellowed before its face collapsed and exploded into more oily puss. As soon as this happened the body flared again and this time it disintegrated into dust.

"What was that?" Jack asked of no one in particular

"I don't know" Miranda said as the fighting appeared to be over. She went to the defense console and checked the screen "defense towers are at full strength" she looked up to the collector ship getting bombarded by explosive fire.

As it began to move and flee toward the sky a beam of light shot past Miranda and destroyed the console. Suddenly the guns stopped firing and the collector ship stopped in air. Miranda was sent to the ground when the console exploded, she looked up to see a giant four legged monster hovering in the air with a gaping maw, inside which must have been a beam weapon of some kind. It fired at her again and she got up, running and diving behind a chest high barrier as the others readied their weapons.

Grunt was closest and held up his shotgun firing three shots before he expelled the heat sinc and slid another in. just then the monster hit the ground and sent out a shockwave that sent Grunt flying into a nearby wall denting it, but Grunt just hit the ground and got right back up again. As he recovered a gas tank hit the side of the monster exploding immediately from an incendiary round fired from afar by Zaeed. The tank was thrown biotically by Jack who yelled and fired a pistol from 30 feet away

"C'mon!" she yelled "come get some!" she effectively drew the beasts attention as it turned to her and fired almost too fast for her to dive out of the way.

As Jack drew its attention away. Miranda turned to Jacob and spoke frantically

"Did you bring any heavy weapons?" She asked

He took out a large piece of machinery with a large circular clip for holding grenades "just this"

"Head to higher ground" she said "get a better view of the thing before you fire" just then more collector drones arrived "I'll cover you" she said aiming for them.

Just then Jack ran out of thermal clips for her pistol and picked up a collector rifle from the ground firing a continuous beam from it that seemed to take down its shields. Jacob found his way onto a balcony near the top of one of the houses, he yelled to Jack

"Lure it closer to me!"

"Got it!" Jack said simply not worrying about why. She aimed the beam rifle again and fired before running to the house Jacob resided and sliding to a halt, aiming the rifle back, not meaning to move until it was dead. Jacob let loose with grenades and with every explosion the monster wobbled more and more and drifted closer to the ground, until the final one got into its mouth and blew it in half. Just as the powered drone had, the beast disintegrated into dust. Both of them left their positions and rejoined the group gunning down collectors as they poured out of the ship and focused on the team alone.

They stood next to where Monteague dragged the soldier. Grunt had Saren over his shoulder holding his shotgun in one hand.

Miranda was screaming on the radio "Mission failure! In need of immediate extraction" she yelled "repeat, defense towers disabled Collector ship still in orbit, do you read!"

No one answered

"damnit!" she yelled as the forces closed in shot after shot was fired and for the moment they held them off, but they were getting too close, too fast, the team wouldn't last forever.

Just then large missiles rocketed through the air colliding with the collector ship with large explosions of fire. A large frigate sized ship soared into view firing more missiles and causing heavy damage to the collector ship. Eventually through the onslaught the collector ship retreated and the team was finally able to destroy the rest of the collectors and begin their escape toward the extraction zone where the shuttle was waiting.

The moment they saw the ship they knew they had to hurry. The white and dark blue colors of its metal facing, the design of its form.

It was unmistakably the Normandy SR1

**NOTE: another cliffhanger, i do like them so very much. Horizon will conclude next chapter and it will go into some of the after events. also i will say that the next chapter will address the introduction of everyone's favorite Artificial Intelligence, who has been absent thus far.**

**i thank all my readers, of which there are relitively few, and i look forward to any reviews or feedback of any kind (even if it's harsh...like Sylla's review)**


	14. Chapter 13

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 13

_Turians live by a code, discipline, honor, sacrifice, and the idea that nothing is more important than finishing the mission. Our own lives don't matter as long as we've done everything in our power to complete our objective and have succeeded in our goal. It's an ideal that makes a good Spectre, but it can also create a very dangerous one._

_But failure, and living through it, are things no Turian wants to experience._

_The defenses went down; the Collectors would have taken the colony and wiped my team out had my enemies not intervened._

_I have failed_

_### _

The sunlight scorched his eyes as they began to flutter open; the sparks of pain and disorientation were slowly fading away. Saren still felt numb, and his mind was not ready to accept consciousness. He knew he was moving, and that he was being carried, most likely by Grunt. They were looking for him, he knew it, he knew how important it was to wake up, and fight to get back to the shuttle, but he couldn't. It took a will stronger than his to fight the numbness and the pain. For that moment, on that day, he allowed himself the pleasure of giving up.

He shut his eyes again, and let himself drift away once more.

Grunt groaned as they continued onward, Saren draped over his shoulder, blood oozing from Grunt's still fresh wounds. He didn't feel any pain, the blood rage still clouded his mind, he stopped feeling pain the moment he first aimed a gun, and pulled the trigger.

They were all wounded, it could be seen that Miranda was having trouble running with a sprained leg joint, plodding on occasionally breaking into a hobbling limp. But she had to keep going as she heard the gunshots and the deafening bellows of the Normandy's aerial bombardment. They were looking for her, for all of them, and the longer they spent on that planet, the closer they would get to finding them.

###

Ashley Williams dropped down from the shuttle toting an Avenger Assault rifle. She collided with the ground with a satisfying thud and began to aim the rifle, firing bursts into the light brown monsters she saw before her.

Liara jumped second, gracefully and silently landing thanks to her Biotics cushioning her fall, Garrus jumped and collided heavily with the ground, before looking up to see Tali, lingering back.

"I always hated this part!" she yelled over the sounds of the shuttle exhaust and her own hyperventilation.

Garrus cocked his head at her like a confused dog and his mandibles opened in a sarcastic smirk "would you like me to catch you milady?"

"Oh shut up!" Tali yelled as she dropped, clumsily landing and somersaulting. She looked up to see Garrus, beaming down at her, offering his hand, which she reluctantly took.

"Need to work on that landing" he said with a chuckle

"I have a shotgun" Tali reminded him as she shoved him away making him laugh

Ashley groaned at their useless banter and raised her voice "fan out and sweep the area, two teams, Tali you're with me, we're going north, Garrus you lead Liara South of the drop zone, when I signal we all converge at the defense console, highest concentration of Collector forces on the colony"

Tali and Garrus eyed each other, this wasn't the first time Ashley separated them, the same way a school teacher separates the two children who most annoy each other in a classroom.

They spread out in their teams and continued through the colony. Garrus and Liara entered a set of small apartments finding an empty house that seemed to be frozen in time, just the way the home owners left it. The TV was playing a movie that continued to go on even without an audience to watch, food was left on the table with none of it eaten.

"No signs of struggle" Garrus said to Liara as they walked through the room, emerging on the other side to find a mass of Collector bodies ridden with bullet holes.

Garrus nodded "I stand corrected"

"Looks like someone's been here" Liara said "a strike team, perhaps"

"Something like that…but who?" Garrus brought up his comm. Through his eye piece and called Tali. A click resounded letting Garrus know he'd been connected without Tali even having to speak.

"Tali, any updates on your end?"

"No, just a lot of dead bodies, and a few colonists in some kind of state of paralysis, but alive"

"That's a relief"

Tali was just exiting an apartment when she heard muffled whispers and footsteps around the corner and took out her pistol.

"Wait" she said over the comm. As he pointed her pistol "I think I found something"

"What is it?"

Tali didn't answer as a woman bolted out from around the corner and ran past. Tali caught half a second's glimpse of her and fired her gun, she didn't think about it, but the way she looked, the way she dressed, it was familiar in exactly the wrong way.

The shot impacted the woman through her upper arm and she began to stumble while grunting in pain, rolling and landing behind cover. Her companions made themselves known, a Krogan with a body draped over his shoulder, three humans and a Turian, Tali had found the Strike team.

She noted their guns were raised and immediately dove behind cover. She saw Ashley come running forward, firing her assault rifle, forcing them back into cover, but they were numerous, they would no doubt be spreading out, trying to advance and surround them.

Ashley got into cover and saw as a male human in their strike team leaned out of cover and began to fire back.

"We're pinned down" Tali cried into her mouth piece

'what?!" Garrus yelled from the other end "is it Collectors"

"no…it's-" Tali's head got too far out from her cover, too exposed, but from that position she spotted the woman she shot, wincing and cradling her wound, it was the woman whose face she had to know, it was Miranda Lawson.

"Him" Tali said over the comm. "he's here"

"Who?"

Just then a stray bullet grazed Tali's helmet spraying metal fragments and electrical sparks everywhere, even shattering part of her air filter. She retreated back into cover and breathed in an unfiltered breath.

"Bosh'tet" she exclaimed"…Garrus?"

But Garrus could not hear her, the shot had knocked out the microphone that relayed her voice through the comm. System, all Garrus heard was white noise.

His eyes widened in fear as he turned to Liara.

"We're going after Tali and Ash"

"But Ashley told us to-"

"I know what she told us!" Garrus yelled at her "now listen to what I'm telling you, they're pinned down, if we don't get to their position they'll be overrun!" he reloaded his sniper rifle and began to run hitting a few buttons on his Omni-tool and bringing up a layout of the colony on his eye piece, pin pointing Ashley's comm. Unit on the map and charting out a route to them.

###

Miranda Gripped her bloody arm tightly as her Omni-Tool flashed into existence and applied the medigel giving sweet relief to the pain and allowing her to once again move freely. She took out her SMG and got a quick view of the two people firing at them. She knew them, the female Quarian was Tali'Zorah, and the human was Ashley Williams.

She had no orders to kill them should her team find them, and she preferred to end the bloodshed done today, not add to it. But they would not listen to her, and the space between her cover and the cover adopted by her team was now a kill zone 30 feet across, one that they would have to cross in order to reach the rendezvous.

She was running out of options, she could of course use her superior numbers to her advantage, order the rest of them to advance and overtake them but that would risk too much, they were two of the most skilled operatives in the galaxy and not only that but no doubt had reinforcements coming in soon. She could try to keep them in cover and slowly bring her team through the zone, but that would be once again too risky. All of the choices seemed to end in bloodshed but there was still one left to use, give them a better target, have someone leave cover and use a lot of suppressing fire, keeping them in cover and focusing on that one person as they advance, distracting the fighters from Miranda's team as they passed. But that put all the risk mostly on one person.

When she saw a muzzle flash from behind her cover and a sniper shot nearly collide with her she knew that one of their snipers (most likely the Turian on their team) was already behind her, and was advancing. She had to choose now before he lined up the kill shot.

She turned and yelled to Jacob as she stood "get to the rendezvous!" she readied her pistol in one hand and SMG in the other "whatever it takes!"

She ran out into the kill zone and started firing wildly

"Miranda!" Jacob yelled and she began to run towards the two shooters who had to back behind cover.

Jacob hesitated for a moment then wasted no more time. He beckoned the rest of his team and began to run past in the direction of the rendezvous.

Miranda had reached Ashley and Tali's cover and vaulted over it, surprising them both and shocking them to action. Ashley was nearest and readied her assault rifle which Miranda was able to grab and slam into her exposed head, knocking it from her grasped. Miranda turned to see Tali charging toward her with a knife retrieved from a sheath on her ankle and slashed ferociously at Miranda, she dodged and grabbed hold of her knife hand, keeping it at bay while she tried to land blows with the other. Ashley recovered from the blow to her head and was now upon Miranda again, who had to let go of Tali and throw her to the ground to ready herself to block Ashley's wild punches. Ashley leaned back for one hit, telegraphing it, Miranda was preparing as it connected with her hand.

She twisted Ashley's arm back and immobilized her, bringing her arm back preparing to land a debilitating blow, only to shiver and fall to the ground as electricity shot through her. As she hit the ground and continued to shake she was face to face with a purple and blue combat drone, controlled by Tali from the ground.

Tali stood and held her partially broken face mask, a smile underneath "good girl, Chitika"

Garrus had just arrived seeing the Chaos that had just ended, Liara not far behind. But he stopped to spot Miranda's team in the distance, well on their way to escaping; he aimed his rifle just in time to see them slip out of his sights.

"Damn!" he yelled before he turned back to the group, gasping in surprise as he remembered Tali. He ran over to her seeing the scrapes and scarring along the side of her mask.

"Tali!" he yelled "what happened? Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine Garrus" she said as she breathed in and coughed horrifically "just a graze"

"You don't sound so good"

She began to speak before she coughed twice more and stumbled toward him. After another set of choked and painful coughs she fainted and fell forward, Garrus catching her.

"Spirits!" he exclaimed "Tali!"

Liara stared in the direction the others of Miranda's team went "we have to get her back to the ship" she said "it can't wait"

Garrus Audibly groaned in response, but not in disagreement.

"No" Ashley said "we have a chance we have to take it!"

Garrus lowered Tali to the ground before repositioning her and lifting her in his arms more comfortably.

"Even if we could catch them we can't subdue them, or even kill them" he stared down at Miranda "we got one of his lieutenants, that's a win for us"

Ashley growled and paced back and forth  
>"we'll find him again…I promise" Garrus said with confidence as he motioned to Liara and she began to call for evac.<p>

It was a few minutes later when Tali was on the ship, getting looked at by Doctor Chakwas, Garrus beside her, that Ashley and Liara remained on the colony continuing to look for clues.

Eventually they happened upon an unconscious man, a man easily woken up with a loud yell and a light, but painful strike to the head.

He shot up and glared at Ashley as she crouched and looked at him "did you find him?" he asked

"No" she replied, knowing the man he spoke of "you saw Saren?"

"Yeah…he almost killed me, not sure why he didn't"

"A lapse in judgment on his part I'm sure" Ashley deadpanned as she stood and offered her hand which the man took and stood up. He was incredibly burly with thick muscles and broad shoulders; he had a black military style haircut and tattoos on his arms.

"Lieutenant James Vega" he said

"Agent Ashley Williams of special tactics and recon" she replied with a slight smile "how about we talk on the ship, I'm sure you have a lot to tell us"

###

Jacob felt a familiar heat as the bright lights of the scanner went over his body. Soon enough he seemed to appear in a dark room, the enigmatic Illusive Man on the other end.

"Hello Mister Taylor…it is my understanding that Miss Lawson is the one who submits reports to me"

"The Mission was a failure" Jacob said "we were unable to push the Collector forces back, they were driven from the colony only because of the intervention of the Normandy and…when the crew of the ship came to the surface they pinned us down and were able to take Miranda captive"

The Illusive Man sighed and stood walking to the window and staring out "a necessary risk"

"Excuse me?"

"I can assure you Agent Taylor I was the first to know of Horizon going dark, I could do whatever I wished with the information and, if I so chose, no one else would have known"

Jacob glared as he understood "you alerted the Normandy, you led them straight to us!"

"and look what that has done for us" the Illusive man said as he turned back to Jacob "if I hadn't you'd all be dead or abducted, instead we only lost one…Agent Lawson is a good agent, probably one of the best we've got, but we have to accept that there are going to be losses"

"So we just let her get taken, forget about her?"

The Illusive man smiled "I didn't say that, the situation will be handled I assure you…how did Saren perform?"

"Very well…until he came across what I believe to be Reaper code jamming the defense systems, it disoriented him, sent him unconscious when he tried to hack it"

"Interesting…so his technological interface ability is fallible…he may require some help on that front"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm having a ship built right now with an on board computer system, and I'm integrating project EDI into its mainframe"

"You sure she's ready?" Jacob asked

"It…Mister Taylor, and I can assure you, IT is ready"

Just then a small blue orb appeared in the room, a soft female voice coming from it

"Hello Operative Taylor"

Jacob Smiled and crossed his arms "So you're the EDI the techs are going crazy about"

"I am, while the ship I am to be installed on remains under construction my mainframe resides on a secure Cerberus broadcasting station, although my runtimes are slower from such a long ranged I am still able to aid with remote hacking and cyber warfare on the field, should mister Arterius run into more of the same code"

"Enough chatting" the Illusive man said "I hope to hear from you after your next mission Operative Taylor"

Jacobs' and Edi's holographic avatars disappeared and a new one replaced it. A tall darkly dressed man with a fit physique and long black hair. He was of a pale complexion and he was Asian.

The Illusive man turned to him "I never believed Miss Lawson capable of taking her own life, even with the capsule implanted in her teeth…in captivity they will try and glean any information they can from her"

"What do you suppose we should do?" the agent asked

"Find her, and if she told them important details about our plans…well…then you can do what you do best"

The agent smiled sadistically and the Illusive man just nodded and spoke his final command "and in that event…you leave no survivors…understand?"

"Yes, sir" the agent disappeared and the Illusive man took a puff of his cigarette, staring into space.

**NOTE:**

**Hi there!**

**I'm very VERY happy about this chapter!**

**No, not because it's good, I mean, I'm happy how it came out and all, but because it represents the furthest I've ever made into any piece of Fiction I've ever written. So three cheers for that!**

**I actually had this written for days, just delayed posting it so that I could reread it after a few days and see if I could catch all the major mistakes, let me know if it worked.**

**Anyway, I won't promise you anything about the next chapter in regards to how long it will take, I've learned that life has a way of making me break those promises. I'll certainly try to get it out faster, but no promises aside from, it's coming.**


	15. Chapter 14

Mass Effect: Memorandum

Chapter 14

_2 years, 2 years I've searched for him, and for those 2 years he's eluded me, time after time._

_Sometimes I wonder if it's all worth it, if, maybe, he'll never be found._

_But I can't think like that, I'm closer than I've ever been before, I have a prisoner, one who can lead me to him, And I know he's on Omega, that's enough to keep me going._

_I just hope that I can do it before it's too late._

_### _

Miranda was dragged by her shackled arms into the interrogation room. She was lifted and forced into a chair on one side of a large metal table. The armored marines left her there to rot as she glared at them fiercely. Her mouth remained in agony, filling up with blood, the people who commanded the Normandy knew how to handle a Cerberus prisoner, they drugged her, kept her unconscious while they forcibly removed the false molar from Miranda's jaw, the one that contained a cyanide pill she was meant to swallow when in captivity, to prevent her from giving up Cerberus secrets.

Her hair was a mess, her jumpsuit was stained with dirt and blood, and she felt weak. She sighed deeply and rested her head on the cold surface of the table. She was tempted to smash her head against it repeatedly, finish what the cyanide could not, but she realized it would do no good, they would come in and drug her again, and when she woke up she'd be in even more restraints.

As soon as Miranda lifted her head again the metal door opened and a woman in a Captain's uniform entered the room, she had long black hair and delicate features. She had a stern, commanding expression, she was obviously the authority aboard the Normandy, Ashley Williams, Miranda was told about her.

Ashley sat down on the other end of the table, still not saying a single word to Miranda, simply staring. She took out a data-pad and began reading it, Miranda couldn't guess what was on it, but she knew it wasn't good.

"Miranda Lawson" Ashley said, refusing to make eye contact "agent of Cerberus, age 35, guilty of several counts of murder, conspiracy to commit treason, terrorism, sedition, fraud-"

"Does this have a point?" Miranda asked aiming a critical eye on Ashley "if you're trying to threaten me you should know I'm not afraid of going to jail"

Ashley nodded "well what are you afraid of?...I'm sure torture wouldn't work, you're no doubt prepared for that, won't give any usable intel, and after a while you'll lose your ability to even tell us your own name, death has the same problem, so that puts us in a very difficult position"

"Indeed it does" Miranda said, saying nothing more.

Ashley hit a few buttons on her data-pad before a picture came up, of a young girl, late teens, with black hair, she was also a spitting image of Miranda herself "but…there is this" Ashley showed Miranda the picture, and the Cerberus agent immediately reacted, her face turned pale, and her eyes widened in panic.

"intel says she's your sister, and that Cerberus has been giving her some…protection, as of late" Ashley placed the data-pad on the table and slid it to Miranda "I don't know what they're protecting her from, but I'm thinking I don't have to, I know she's under constant surveillance, Cerberus protection squads can arrive within five minutes if she's in any kind of danger, take all that away…and I'm guessing you know what happens then…" Miranda looked away, not wanting to even look at Ashley "how long do you think she'll last?"

There was a silence as Ashley stood and went to the door

"They're coming for me" Miranda said angrily at Ashley "Cerberus…they'll get me out"

Ashley smiled and turned back to Miranda

"I'm counting on it" Ashley turned back to the door and opened it "I'll be back tomorrow, I hope that then you'll be willing to cooperate"

###

Tali stirred in the Normandy's med bay, feeling drowsy and sick, she tried to sniff but the air hit a wall of mucus and swollen muscle. Her eyes were bloodshot and her head ached. She groaned as she lifted her hand and felt the hasty repair job on her air filter.

It all came back to her then, the attack on Horizon, finding Saren's group, damaging her air filter. She wondered if they had won against them, if they had caught back up with Saren's group, but somehow she knew that he had eluded them once again.

As she looked over she saw Garrus, sitting in the seat by her bed, doing something on his Omni-Tool. She feebly reached out to him, but it was just a little bit too far. He noticed her though and closed his Omni-tool.

"Hey" he said somberly "you gave us quite the scare"

Tali smiled through her mask and let her arm fall limply at the bed's side "I've had worse" she struggled and pulled until she was able to sit up, both hands holding her nauseated stomach. "I don't suppose we caught him.

"No…he got away, we did capture one of his team though"

"Yeah…I remember that part" Tali groaned again "so what's our next move?"

"well, me, Ash and the others are going to see what we can learn from the prisoner…you on the other hand, are going to be resting for a while longer, Ash says you won't be going on any missions till the Doctor clears you for duty"

"Fine" Tali said without protest

"Just don't get complacent, this little vacation isn't going to last forever" Garrus said with a sarcastic levity in his voice

Tali scoffed "watch it Vakarian, even like this I could still get my shotgun"

Garrus gave Tali what could only be described as a Turian Smirk "you're so mean"

Tali waved Garrus' comment away, sighed and shut her eyes. She rolled onto her side as her breathing slowed.

"I'm just gonna shut my eyes for a moment" she said "will you be here when I wake up"

"Of course" Garrus said, leaning forward.

Tali flailed her left arm out weakly, grasping at something until Garrus gently took her hand in his and held on, Tali smiled once again under the mask as she fell deeply into sleep.

###

James Vega didn't take his time making his way to the cargo bay of the Normandy, word had made it there from Alliance command, they wanted Vega reassigned, he was to remain on the Normandy, a change such as this wasn't entirely up to them, a lot of it was due to the recommendation of a certain spectre, a spectre who was currently walking towards Vega, having just come out of the elevator.

Vega himself was hitting a heavy punching bag he'd found in one of the equipment crates. He was pounding on it harder and harder as his pulse quickened and his fists ached. He had a lot of frustration after this mission, letting Saren get the drop on him like that, having to be saved by the Normandy crew, even how he left all those colonists behind, half of which were taken by the Collectors.

"Hey!" Ashley said as she got closer, a sound which Vega didn't notice at first. "At ease!" Ashley yelled finally making Vega stop hitting the bag and turn towards her.

"Sorry Ma'am" he said "just got caught up in the moment is all" he began to remove the bandages from his knuckles.

"I've read your service record, it's impressive"

"To someone like you, maybe, I've never seen it like that"

"Well I'm sure you'll be an asset to the team"

Vega chuckled slightly making Ashley glare and raise an eyebrow.

"Sorry Ma'am, I just never expected to hear that from someone like you"

Ashley groaned "please, just call me Ashley, or Ash, hell Williams is better than Ma'am"

"Sorry uh…Ash"

"It's fine" Ashley began to walk away when Vega spoke again.

"Permission to speak freely"

"Granted" Ashley replied

Vega sighed before speaking "Saren was fighting the Collectors on Horizon, that doesn't seem like him, I've fought collectors before Horizon, they need to be stopped…I'm not saying he's on our side, not by a long shot…but have you considered that maybe we need to look into the Collectors as a threat, not just Saren"

Ashley turned back to Vega and sighed "I'll certainly put that in the report…but for now, we have a mission, and I intend to see it through"

**NOTE: hello again**

**I thought I'd change things up for this chapter and give a different perspective on the events going on, we'll get back to Saren and his group in the next chapter.**

**A few things, firstly to respond to the questions given by the Anon reviewer "Geth Infiltrator"**

**Yes, and I also think she's awesome**

**If you made it this far you already know the answer to the question**

**Second order of business, I'd like to thank the user Sylla for posting such a polite and eloquent review (sarcasm) in all seriousness, it did help me a lot as it motivated me to improve my grammar and writing structure, it was harsh, but it made me a better writer, so please, if you have a problem with the story, tell me in the reviews, no matter how big it is. (and yes I realize it's been over a year since Sylla wrote that review, if you haven't realized it yet, I like to take my time)**

**Well, see you next time, and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later, but I make no promises.**


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